


Something About Ember Island

by ABirdInFlight



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mental Health Issues, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:48:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26021458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABirdInFlight/pseuds/ABirdInFlight
Summary: With their parents busy at a political conference in Republic City, the teenage children of Aang, Katara, Toph, and Zuko are all sent to Ember Island to stay for the weekend with their mysterious "aunts," Azula and Ty Lee. Teen angst and beachy shenanigans ensue. But Ember Island has a way of smoothing even the most ragged edges, so maybe they'll learn a few lessons on life, love, and each other along the way.
Relationships: Azula & Izumi (Avatar), Azula & Kya II, Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Izumi & Kya II (Avatar), Kya II & Tenzin (Avatar), Kya II/Original Female Character(s), Lin Beifong & Izumi (Avatar), Lin Beifong & Kya II, Lin Beifong/Tenzin
Comments: 66
Kudos: 224





	1. Friday

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place 36 years before the start book one of Korra. A past Azula redemption arc is implied by this story, but it is not the content of it. You'll have to imagine most of her journey from the ending of ATLA to where we are now, though I make plenty of allusions to personal headcanons.
> 
> For reference, the characters' ages are as follows: Ty Lee is 49, Azula is 48, Kya is 18, Izumi is 16, Tenzin is 15, Lin is 14, and Su is 8. Most ages I was able to calculate using information from the Avatar wiki, but some characters, like Kya and Izumi, have no stated canonical age and so I extrapolated. Before you ask "where's Bumi?" he's 22 and in the United Forces Army.
> 
> For new fans of the ATLA Renaissance, this story largely ignores the post-canon comics but does feature some slight spoilers for the Legend of Korra and the Turf Wars comic series.

Being shipped off to Ember Island for the weekend was just about the lamest thing that could ever happen. Kya sighed, glancing back at her companions for the weekend- just great. The last thing she wanted to do was spend time with her little brother and her parents’ friends’ kids. Not that she didn’t like them, exactly. She was just over it. 

Her little brother Tenzin sat near the back of the boat with Lin Beifong, the two of them absorbed in conversation with one another. Kya blew a bit of hair away from her face- she wished those two would just get it over with and date already. Lin was all right, but watching Tenzin’s sad attempts at flirting was just embarrassing. On the opposite bench sat the Fire Nation Princess Izumi, her nose stuck behind the pages of a book. Izumi was a quiet girl, nice enough, but reserved except when she was being way too enthusiastic about weapons. She was mostly okay, but Kya had always thought her a little weird. Not far from them, Lin’s little sister Su sat on the ground, flicking rocks back and forth in boredom. At only eight years old, Su was the youngest of them and clearly the odd one out. She had toddled around after the older kids all her life, like an annoying shadow. Kya just knew she’d get stuck with babysitting duty this weekend. She was the oldest, after all. 

Well, she was the oldest going to the island anyways. Her older brother Bumi had finally made it out of the house, doing _something_ interesting with his life. He’d enlisted in the United Forces not too long ago, so he was exempt from random vacations. Last Kya had heard he’d made it through basic training and was ready to see active duty. Sure, the military sounded unbearable, but at least it was something. She, on the other hand, had no clue what she wanted. Except to get off this stupid boat.

Even the military would be better than visiting old lady Azula and her wife on Ember Island. That had been the Fire Lord’s idea, while their parents all attended some stupid political conference in Republic City. Kya leaned against her hand, watching from the railing as the island grew closer and closer on the horizon. The sun was already starting to set, and dread pooled inside her gut- maybe it was only one weekend, and maybe she was overreacting. But _still_. The last thing Kya wanted to do on a Friday was night was hang out with her dumb family.

She didn’t even _like_ Azula. She was weird, and not always very nice. Everyone knew the old Princess had fought in the war, and everyone knew how scary and talented she was at firebending. But everyone also knew that she was crazy, and sometimes talked to people who weren’t there. Kya could cut her some slack- she didn’t think it was Azula’s fault that she heard voices- but it was still just so _weird_. 

Azula’s wife, Ty Lee, was okay, but sometimes Kya found her a little annoying. She was nicer than Azula, and came across as a bit bubbly and naive. But Kya was pretty sure Ty Lee had killed at least one man in her life, if the halberds hanging in their living room were anything to go by. It wasn’t like Azula needed them. And Ty Lee had some scary abilities too- Kya had never been subjected to chi blocking, but she’d heard about it from her mom, and it sounded terrifying. 

Behind her, Kya heard one of Su’s rocks go flying off the side of the ship.

“Su! If you don’t cut that out right now I’m going to tell Mom you ate the paint off the ship again!”

“Mom’s not here, you big meanie!” 

“Guys, cut it out.”

“Oh, you’re taking her side?”

“No, no I’m not!”

“Yes he is, Tenzin likes me better because I’m _nice,_ and you’re not!”

“Ugh, Su, you’re so annoying…”

“Will you all _shut up!_ I’m trying to read!” 

Kya groaned loudly, dropping her head into her hands. It was going to be a long weekend. 

* * *

Old lady Azula (as she was now known), former Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, Conqueror of Ba Sing Se, and one-time Fire Lord, stood by the docks in silent anticipation. She had been standing there for a while now, her wife by her side, awaiting the arrival of the too-many-children her brother had asked her to look after for a weekend. 

Children was the wrong word. These were _teenagers_. 

“Ty Lee, why did I let you talk me into this?” Azula asked as the ship came closer and closer in her line of view. Any moment now and their peace would be interrupted for the next 48 hours. 

“You didn’t, Azula. Zuko talked you into it.” Azula shrugged.

“Fine. Ty Lee, why did I let you let Zuzu talk me into this?”

“Because you know you like them,” Ty Lee giggled, nudging her wife’s shoulder with her own. Azula scowled. “And you like when they visit.”

“I do not,” Azula crossed her arms, but an amused smirk crossed her face anyways. Ty Lee rolled her eyes. The ship finally floated it’s way into the docks, the horn bellowing to announce it’s arrival. 

“Well, brace yourself dear. In about thirty seconds we’re about to lose any sense of freedom,” Azula said, but the smile on her face betrayed her. Ty Lee only grinned, squeezing Azula’s arm. 

“We’ll probably live.”

“No guarantees.” 

“Aunt Azula!! Aunt Ty Lee!!” called an excited voice, and before Azula had the chance to prepare herself, a small body had crashed into her. Thin arms wrapped around her waist and Azula had to take a step to stop herself from falling backwards.

Only one person had ever hugged her this way, and Azula couldn’t stop the wide smile that split across her face as she returned the embrace.

“It’s good to see you, Izumi,” Azula said, pushing her niece back so that she could get a good look at her. Izumi had grown in the time since Azula had last seen her, but at the moment her hair was windblown and her glasses slightly askew. But she was grinning ear from ear regardless. 

“You too, Aunt Azula,” Izumi said, pushing her glasses back into place. Azula reached out to smooth a few flyaway hairs from her niece’s face- a losing battle, but the impulse for perfection had never quite left her.

“You look well,” she said. Izumi nodded.

“I am! Dad’s been letting me shadow him in meetings lately, and we’ve been learning more about the war in history lessons. Is it true that you really tracked the Avatar using only hair from Appa?”

“It is!” Ty Lee piped in, reaching out to pull Izumi into a hug of her own. Azula stepped back, glancing over at the other kids briefly. “She was brilliant! We’d been on the road for…gosh, I think a month or so? And Aang tried to fool us by flying away on his own with Appa’s fur, but Azula noticed that a tree was broken, and so Mai and I went after them that way, and then we-”

“That’s...enough, Ty Lee,” Azula interrupted, noting the distinctly uncomfortable look on Kya and Tenzin’s faces. Izumi, on the other hand, had been gleefully hanging onto Ty Lee’s every word. Azula sighed. 

“It’s good to see you all too,” she said, approaching them with her hands respectfully behind her back. She nodded briefly to each of them, who all gave respectful bows in return. 

“Hey, Princess Azula,” Kya greeted her, stepping forward to exchange a slightly tense embrace. Lin was next, a little more sincere, and finally Tenzin and then little Su, who was the only one to jump at Azula as eagerly as Izumi. 

“Hi Aunt ‘Zula!! Guess what?” She said, stepping back with a large, toothy grin. “I can earthbend now! Mama taught me how, look!” And she fell immediately into a sloppy earthbending stance, lifting several large rocks up and down in quick succession, giggling each time she slammed them back into the ground. Suyin had been a late bloomer compared to her sister- Azula knew that Toph had been wondering if she would be a bender at all. Azula was pleased to see that she was.

“Straighten your stance, and bend more at the knee,” Azula said, reaching down to tap Su’s legs into shape. “You’ll have more power this way.” Su corrected herself quickly, and almost instantly she was able to lift the rocks even higher, and slam them into the ground so hard it shook. Su laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.

She was certainly Toph’s daughter. Azula grinned- she liked the younger earthbender well enough, and her girls were no exception. They were tough, the Beifong girls. Azula respected that.

“Much better,” she said with an approving nod. Suyin grinned. 

“Come on Azula, we should get back to the house,” Ty Lee said, noting the group of workers who’d descended with the kids’ luggage. “It’s time for dinner! I hope you guys like lomodo chicken!”

And with that they were off up the hill. But from behind her, Azula heard Kya groaning under her breath. 

“I _hate_ komodo chicken.”

* * *

All things considered, Izumi thought dinner was fairly uneventful. Though Kya had sulked through the whole thing, picking at her chicken more than eating it. But, Izumi reasoned, the older girl was Water Tribe. Of _course_ she’d hate Fire Nation food. 

Aunt Ty Lee was the one who’d suggested they go down to the beach afterwards. It was still early enough that the sun had only just set, and so the kids had made a beeline for the water, especially Kya, who was at present tormenting Tenzin by dumping waves on his head every time he came close to finishing a sand sculpture. Far enough to escape the water unscathed, Lin was pretending not to laugh, and Su had been running around the edges of the surf with Aunt Ty Lee. 

Izumi had hung back by the small campfire Aunt Azula had started. Not that she didn’t enjoy the water, she did, but she enjoyed spending time with her aunt a little more. As long as she could remember, the elder princess had been her hero. Her father had made it very clear that the war had been wrong, and Izumi understood why, but it still amazed her to think that at only fourteen her aunt had been on the front lines, commanding armies and taking down impenetrable cities. Their nation was complicated, and so was it's history, but any Princess who was willing to serve her country like that was a hero, as far as Izumi was concerned. 

Not that Aunt Azula was perfect. Izumi had only ever known her aunt to be kind and interested in her, but sometimes she was a little bit scary, too. Most days Aunt Azula was okay, and she was fun and the best combat teacher in the world. She hadn't minded for an instant that Izumi couldn't firebend. But then there were days when Aunt Azula shut herself away, unable to see or talk to anyone but Ty Lee. Even worse were the times when she had what her father called "an episode", and the voices Izumi knew she sometimes still heard would tell her that the world was against her. On those days Aunt Azula had a hard time telling what was real, and Izumi knew to give her some space. 

Her father had explained all this when Izumi was very young, the first time she’d found her aunt speaking to someone who wasn’t there. Most people were still scared of Azula because of it, but as far as Izumi was concerned, it just made her aunt the strongest person she knew. Aunt Azula was still fighting wars every day, and she was _winning_. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by an especially loud _splash_ , and Tenzin’s indignant cry. 

_“KYA!!!”_

Aunt Azula laughed from her spot on the log, shaking her head in amusement. She glanced down at Izumi, one eyebrow raised, and said, “Aren’t you glad you’re an only child?”

“Yeah,” she giggled, as Tenzin blew a puff of air that knocked Kya off her wave. “Were you and Dad ever like that?”

“We are now,” Aunt Azula said. “Which reminds me, he still owes me money for betting against the Wolfbats in that last pro-bending tournament. I told him they were undefeated for a reason.” 

“I’ll tell him,” Izumi said, rolling her eyes. Everything was a competition to her aunt. She resumed her observation of the others. Somehow Lin had wound up in Kya’s line of fire. Probably defending Tenzin. 

“Is that a new development?” Aunt Azula asked, “Lin and Airhead Junior over there? Clearly it’s been too long since I’ve seen you all.”

“Are you kidding? Tenzin’s had a crush on her since he was, like, _ten,_ ” Izumi said, waving a hand dismissively. “The new part is that Lin actually likes him back now, but she’s too stubborn to say anything.” 

“Hmm.” Aunt Azula rested her chin against her hand, eyes narrowed. “Well, one of them needs to make a move. This is just embarrassing.”

“Well, how did you and Aunt Ty Lee get together?” Izumi asked, honestly curious and thrilled to have an easy in for this conversation. Aunt Azula closed her eyes for a moment, then opened one to fix Izumi with a sideways stare.

“When your father made same-sex marriages legal again, I told her that meant she must marry me now. It was the law,” Aunt Azula said with a sly smile. “She agreed.”

“Come _on_ , Aunt Azula, I know that’s not the real story,” Izumi said with a roll of her eyes. 

“You’re getting less fun in your old age,” Aunt Azula pouted. “Fine. Ty Lee and I rekindled our friendship several years after the war. We met up again when I was living in Ba Sing Se with your great-uncle Iroh, and one thing simply led to another.” 

“There’s gotta be more than that!”

“Well, she did leave the Kyoshi warriors for me,” Aunt Azula said with a smug smirk. 

“But like, how did you ask her out?” Izumi insisted, glancing back and forth between her aunt and the group down by the water, who had moved on to watching Lin create an upsettingly realistic sand sculpture of Appa.

“I didn’t, she asked me.”

“ _W_ _hat?"_

“I mean it,” Aunt Azula said with a shrug. “She came to the tea shop one day and told me we were going to go ‘have some fun.’ Then she dragged me to dinner and a theater show. It was all terribly dull.” 

“Well, then what?” Izumi asked, hanging onto her aunt’s every word. She’d never heard this story before. She'd never really thought to ask. “Did you kiss her? What did your uncle say?”

“Uncle was just thrilled to get me out of the house,” Azula chuckled. “And she didn’t kiss me until date four.” Izumi’s mouth dropped open. 

“Date _four?_ ” Aunt Azula shrugged again. 

“We hadn’t exactly had a normal childhood, Izumi. And up to that point, it was illegal in the Fire Nation to be...like us.”

“But not in the Earth Kingdom!”

“No…” Aunt Azula admitted, raising an eyebrow. “But it wasn’t exactly...accepted either.”

“But...surely proper courtship dictates some display of physical affection early on to show the other person you’re interested, right?” Izumi asked. That was what she’d heard, anyway. Not that she knew much about it herself. The whole thing was quite foreign to her, really. She'd never dated anyone herself.

“Eventually," Aunt Azula laughed. "But it was more fun seeing how long it would take for her to work up the nerve herself.” 

“ _Aunt Azula_.” 

“What? You don’t believe me?” Aunt Azula pretended to look hurt, one hand at her heart.

“No.” Izumi fixed her aunt with the sternest stare she could muster. To her chagrin, it only made Aunt Azula laugh harder. 

“Fine,” Aunt Azula said. “If you must know, we stumbled around each other like a pair of clumsy komodo rhinos for several weeks. We were young, and romance was not exactly one of the things we learned at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. It was always expected that some man would be assigned to us as husbands and courtship wouldn’t be a part of the equation.” 

“Really?” Izumi’s eyes widened- she knew arranged marriages had been common in the old Fire Nation aristocracy, but somehow she’d never really imagined her fierce warrior aunt could have been subjected to that same fate. 

“Of course. Though, Ty Lee didn’t exactly let that stop her from attracting any man who came within ten feet of her,” Aunt Azula said, lifting her eyes to her wife, who was currently waist deep in the ocean with Su on her shoulders. 

Izumi glanced back and forth between them, trying to put the pieces of Aunt Azula’s story together. It hit her approximately thirty seconds later.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, “ _that’s_ why she kissed you first!” Aunt Azula gave her niece a questioning look. 

“Because you didn't know how to flirt.”

“Not true!” Aunt Azula insisted, but in that higher-pitched voice she used when Izumi knew she wasn’t being serious. “I was giving it my all!” Izumi just grinned. She actually thought maybe that was true, but she also realized she’d learned something new tonight, if only by reading between the lines.

Her aunt had been just as awkward as Lin and Tenzin! But, perhaps more importantly in Izumi's eyes, Azula had been just as awkward as she was.

* * *

Later that night- quite a bit later, actually- Lin sat awake in the guest bedroom that she shared with Izumi and Kya. Despite being Fire Nation royalty, Azula and Ty Lee’s home was not especially large. This, of course, was of special annoyance to Lin, who for the life of her couldn’t figure out why _Su_ was the one who’d managed to snag her own bedroom. Tenzin she understood, as he was the only boy in the group, but Su was _eight_. 

In any case, Izumi snored, and it was irritating. Lin glanced out the open window, wondering if it was worth it to sneak outside and try to sleep in the living room. But then, she might run into problems in the morning, because firebenders got up at ungodly hours for reasons Lin would never understand. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with no one but Azula at five AM. 

So she sat up in the bed, legs curled against her chest, listening to Izumi’s snores. 

“Lin?” came a whisper, startling the girl out of her thoughts. She jumped, but it was only Kya, sitting up on the mat on the floor. “You awake?”

“What does it look like?” Lin hissed back. Unperturbed, Kya crawled out of her futon, over the sleeping form of Izumi, and onto the bed. 

“Come on,” Kya said, nodding towards the open window. “It’s too hot in here anyways.” So it wasn’t the snoring keeping Kya up- Lin guessed that was her Water Tribe blood. 

“Where do you suggest we go? It’s the middle of the night,” she said, folding her arms. Kya gave a small scoff.

“Just the front porch, metal head,” Kya said, poking Lin in the arm. “Nowhere fun.” Lin bit back a laugh.

“Fine, let’s go,” she agreed, quietly sliding over to the windowsill and hauling herself outside. She was quiet, and Kya moved just as easily behind her. Outside in the night air, Lin had to admit Kya was right- it was much less stifling. She took a breath, and let Kya lead them around the wrap-around porch to the front of the house, where there were two rather old bamboo seats and their squashy red cushions to sit on. They did so, and Lin took a moment to appreciate how close the house was to the beach. They could see the ocean clearly, along with the remnants of their campfire still sitting out on the beach, just barely visible in the light of the moon. 

“It’s nice here,” Lin admitted. “The beach, I mean.”

“It is,” Kya agreed. “Did your mom ever tell you about the time they stayed in the Fire Lord’s old house here? And that horrible play they saw?”

“Yeah,” Lin chuckled lightly. “Mom said it was hilarious.”

“My mom said it was terrible,” Kya said, throwing her long hair behind her shoulder. “I wish I could have seen it.” 

“They probably don’t show it anymore.”

“Yeah. Probably not,” Kya agreed. “Guess we could ask them.” She gestured towards the house, but made a face. 

“Eh. Theater’s not really my thing,” Lin said with a frown, crossing her arms. Kya shrugged, then stretched her arms up, a smile on her face.

“Spirits, I love the ocean,” she said. “I can feel my bending is so much stronger when I’m near it.”

“All I feel is a bunch of sand.” Lin’s turn to shrug.

“Maybe, but your sandbending is improving,” Kya said, poking Lin’s arm again. “That one of Appa was...uh...lifelike.” 

“Tenzin asked,” Lin insisted, heat rising in her cheeks at the thought. More so when Kya fixed her with a devious grin. 

“So...you and my baby brother, huh?” Kya teased, poking Lin repeatedly now. Lin tried to swat her hands away, to no avail. Kya, unperturbed, laughed. 

“Nothing’s happening!”

“But you like him!” Kya grinned with an extra hard poke.

“Hey, cut it out!”

“Nuh-uh, not 'til you admit it!”

“I do not!”

“You do!”

“Do not!” Lin bent some sand upwards from the edge of the porch, smacking Kya in the face. The older girl sputtered and coughed, freeing Lin from the assault.

“Okay, okay, fine!” Kya spat, running her hands over her tongue to get the sand out. “You win!” Lin crossed her arms, a stern but victorious smirk on her face. It didn’t matter that Kya’s accusations were, in fact, true, and that the only reason Lin had agreed to making sand sculptures at all was because she knew it would make Tenzin smile. She wasn’t about to admit that to his _sister._

“Ugh, you guys are so annoying,” Kya said, crossing her own arms. “Can’t believe I’m stuck here for the weekend. I should be back in Republic City. Qin Lee is having this great party this weekend, I was gonna go with...well, never mind. But I was gonna go!” 

“Yeah yeah,” Lin rolled her eyes. “Come on Kya, you can take _one_ weekend off from partying with your dumb friends. Your dad couldn’t exactly be bailing you out of jail during the annual peace conference.”

“That was one time!”

“...right,” Lin exhaled, shooting Kya a raised brow. “So which girl were you going to go with this time?” Kya started, her mouth dropping open. Lin laughed- revenge was sweet.

“Wha...how did you...I wasn’t going to....”

“Come on Kya,” Lin said, “it’s not like we don’t all know. Well, except Su I guess, but she doesn’t count.”

“What...how did you...how did you find out?” Kya sputtered, an angry blush rising in her face that gave her away. 

“Wasn’t hard. You’ve never had a boyfriend.”

“But that doesn’t mean-”

“And Tenzin saw you that one time you snuck that Fire Nation girl back to Air Temple Island.”

Kya lifted a hand as if in protest, only to lower it again as the realization dawned on her face. Mollified, she let her head droop a bit as the anger left her shoulders. Lin only shrugged- not like she _cared_. 

“So...are you gonna actually tell anyone or pretend it’s some big secret forever?” she asked. Kya actually frowned and drew her knees up to her chest.

“Look, Lin, you’re still kinda young, and I know your mom probably doesn’t care about these things, so why would you? But...not everyone’s like that,” Kya said, uncharacteristically serious. 

“It’s not like it’s a big deal,” Lin said, gesturing towards the house. “Look who we’re staying with! No one’s gayer than those two.” Kya gave a noncommittal shrug.

“I know. And I know dad would be fine with it,” she said, a small smile on her face. But then she frowned again. “It’s...it’s mom I’m worried about.”

“Aunt Katara? Why?”

“I dunno, just…” Kya shrugged again. “I just feel like she’s got this idea of what my life is supposed to be like in her head. She talks sometimes about marriage and grandkids, especially with Bumi and I just...I don’t think that’s me.” 

“No, definitely not,” Lin agreed bluntly. Kya shot her a halfhearted glare.

“You’ve got it easy. Your mom doesn’t expect anything from you,” she said, resting her head on her knees. Lin bristled.

“That’s not true! She expects plenty from me!”

“Yeah? Like what?” Kya asked, raising an eyebrow. “Come on, you know she’s chill about everything. She wouldn’t care if you snuck out of the house at night, or dated girls, or wanted to go exploring the world…”

Lin, knowing this was true, bit her lip. 

“...I’m going to become an officer,” she said quietly. Kya’s head shot up.

“What?”

“You heard me. I’m going to join the Republic City police when I’m old enough. She’ll expect plenty from me then,” Lin grunted, bringing her own legs up to sit lotus style. Kya, to Lin’s surprise, actually looked concerned.

“Is that...really what you want?”

“Yes!” Lin insisted, eyes narrowing, daring Kya to challenge her. 

“...okay. If you’re sure,” Kya said, but Lin could tell she didn’t believe her. Whatever. What did she know about it? 

“I am sure! And at least I know what I want!” 

“Hey, calm down,” Kya raised her hands in apparent surrender. “I don’t care what you do with your life.”

“Because you’re doing nothing with yours, is that it?”

“Hey! That’s not fair and you know it.” Kya’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and Lin realized she’d gone too far. Deflating, she sighed.

“...sorry,” she said, scowling at the ground. They sat in tense silence for a moment, only the sound of the ocean in the background. 

“Look...I just don’t want you to go doing things for the wrong reason, okay?” Kya said after a moment. “If being a cop is really what you want, then go for it. But don’t do it because you think your mom wants you to, all right?”

“Whatever,” Lin said with a frown. But she softened at the serious look on Kya’s face. “You should tell your mom, you know.” 

“What?”

“About what you want to do,” Lin shrugged. “I think you’re being stupid, but...Aunt Katara will understand.” 

“You don’t get it,” Kya sighed. “It’s not just about traveling, it’s…”

“Well you should tell her you’re gay too,” Lin interrupted. “And if she doesn’t like it, that’s her problem.” 

Another moment passed.

“...thanks, Lin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izumi thinks that Azula did, in fact, effectively utilize girl power to conquer Ba Sing Se.
> 
> Before we get to the next chapter, I want to briefly touch on Azula's mental health. I am getting my PhD in clinical psychology so I have quite a bit of professional knowledge on this subject, and I recommend reading my essay on Azula and Diagnosis on my tumblr page (link below) for my perspective on her illness. For the purposes of this story, I am not going to be assigning her a specific DSM diagnosis. However, there will be some discussion throughout of managing psychotic symptoms, complex childhood trauma, and the use of varying mental health treatments. Any ableism coming from the characters is a reflection of their viewpoints, and not my own.
> 
> Essay can be found here: https://likeabxrdinflight.tumblr.com/post/619571148001345536/azula-and-the-issue-of-diagnosis-an-essay-which


	2. Saturday- Day

“Aunt ‘Zula, why do you drink that same tea every morning?” Su asked at breakfast the next morning. Before Azula could even think to respond, Lin smacked her upside the head

“Idiot! It’s because she has that one brain disease...psychic…psycho…”

“Occasional psychosis caused by childhood trauma,” Izumi rattled off, peering over the edges of her book. Azula, from her place by the kitchen counter, continued measuring out the ingredients and bit back her annoyance. Morning with the kids staying meant a lot of chatter and squabbling. By her side, Ty Lee glanced back at the group for a moment, before turning back to separate out the correct amount of medicinal powder.

“Oh,” Su said, apparently mollified. “What’s that mean?”

“It means I’m  _ crazy _ ,” Azula said with a practiced smirk, shooting the gaggle of children a playful look. “So you’d better not make me angry.” Suyin gulped, but Izumi and Lin merely rolled her eyes- Azula’s pretend scare tactics hadn’t worked on them in years. Not since they were Su’s age, really.

“Okay...but what’s it  _ really  _ mean?” Su pressed. Azula frowned. She was losing her touch. Ty Lee giggled and dumped the powder into the tea cup. 

“It means Azula went through some really hard things when she was younger, and now she sometimes sees and hears things that aren’t really there. Don’t forget to add the ginkgo, love,” Ty Lee said, settling herself down at the kitchen table. Azula rolled her eyes.

“I’ve been making this tea for thirty years, I’m not going to forget,” she said through clenched teeth. Talking about her mental health was giving her a headache. 

“Anyway,” Ty Lee went on, resting her head on her hands. “It was scary for a while, but there’s lots of amazing healers and herbalists in the Fire Nation. And now they’ve got this great herbal mixture to help! And it makes the voices and visions stop.”

“Most of the time,” Azula said, finally mixing in the actual tea leaves. “My Uncle Iroh figured out a way to brew it into a tea.”

Izumi, who had heard all this before, had disappeared back into her book. But the Beifong girls both stared at Azula, Su’s mouth hanging open. Even Lin looked interested. Azula flicked her wrist towards the stove to turn off the burners. She grabbed the kettle and poured the hot water directly into her cup, forgoing the clay teapot Iroh had gifted her several years before. 

“It slows her down sometimes,” Ty Lee said with an easy smile, earning herself a short glare from Azula. “Some days are harder than others. But most of the time, things are perfectly fine.” 

“Oooooh,” Su said seriously, as if she had any idea what Ty Lee had actually just said. “That’s crazy!” Lin snorted at her sister’s choice of words, and Izumi frowned from behind her book. Azula had to bite back a laugh of her own. 

“But don’t think I can’t still firebend circles around you girls,” Azula said, turning back to the breakfast table as well. She sat next to Ty Lee, sipping the steaming tea gingerly. It was bitter, but Azula had almost grown to like it over the years. “I could take any of you in an Agni Kai.”

“Aunt Azula, you know we can’t fight an Agni Kai. Su and I can’t firebend” Lin said bluntly. Azula laughed.

“That didn’t stop your Aunt Katara,” she said with a knowing wink at Izumi, who had heard the tale a million times. Lin, who had not, looked confused. 

“It wasn’t really an Agni Kai at that point,” Izumi explained. “Once a duel is interrupted the terms are void, and it’s just a regular old fight. That’s what Aunt Katara did. Well…sort of.”

“Spoilsport,” Azula frowned. “I changed my mind. Su is my favorite niece now.” The little earthbender grinned widely, and Izumi pretended to look betrayed. 

“What? Aunt Azula, how could you!”

Azula and Ty Lee laughed, and it was at that moment that Kya and Tenzin finally ambled their way into the kitchen.

“Good morning!” Ty Lee chirped, leaping out of her seat to greet them. “We’re having hotcakes! Well, we will be as soon as I start them.” Azula shook her head, smiling into her cup of tea. She’d never admit it out loud, but she had grown to enjoy this- the domesticity of life with Ty Lee, of having the kids visit. Most of the time it was only Izumi, and occasionally Toph and her girls would drop by, but rarely all of them at once like this. 

It was not something Azula would have expected of her life. She had been spending the better part of the last twenty years going back and forth between the capital city and Ember Island with Ty Lee, building a life for herself that was _hers._ The former Crown Princess had turned occasional political consultant to her brother and part time lightning instructor when in the city. But here on Ember Island, where she and Ty Lee spent the warmer half of the year, she had settled into a life that almost felt normal.

She liked it.

* * *

Later in the morning, the group had returned down to the beach, this time in the light of day and far less isolated. Kya, however, had grabbed Izumi and headed for downtown, claiming that she had “some serious shopping to do.” Izumi wouldn't have been her first choice of shopping buddy, bu it would have been boring to go alone, and her only other options were Azula and Ty Lee (not an option), or Lin. And Tenzin, she supposed, but there was no way she was going downtown with her _brother._

She had thought to ask Lin to come along, but to absolutely no one’s surprise, she had wanted to go down to the beach again with Tenzin. Kya had opted not to tease them for once, feeling more charitable after their talk last night. So instead she’d grabbed Izumi, insisting the younger girl needed a new bathing suit, and hauled her into town. 

Besides, Izumi needed to get out more. The town of Ember Island wasn’t exactly the bustling big city Kya was used to, but it was quaint and had some fun shops. Lots of tourist traps of course, but also some cool jewelry and clothing shops that you could only find in the Fire Nation. 

“Oooh, check that out!” Kya exclaimed, grabbing Izumi’s unsuspecting arm and dragging her to a stall selling some seriously cool Fire Nation jewelry. Kya’s eyes immediately landed on an over-sized necklace, consisting of several large beads, all different colors of seaglass. She held it up, grinning. “It’s perfect for you!”

“What makes you think I would ever wear that?” Izumi scowled, peering at it distastefully from behind her glasses. Kya threw it over her neck, grinning. 

“Aw, it suits you,” she said with a laugh. “Now we just need a hot outfit to go with it...hmm.” She pressed a finger to her lip, while Izumi, who usually wore the simpler, predictable robes of a Fire Nation princess, pulled a face.

“Ugh, Kya, we’re just on Ember Island,” Izumi protested, pulling. “Besides, this thing is ugly.”

“Hey!” Came the deep, disgruntled voice of the vendor, a burly looking man clearly approaching middle age. “I made that necklace.”

“Uh, she didn’t mean it!” Kya said with an innocent shrug. She smiled. “It’s a beautiful necklace! These are all amazing.” And that, she meant, as she returned to poking around the other items on the stall. Golden bracelets, seaglass necklaces, obsidian earrings...there were a pair shaped like arrowheads that were just  _ begging _ for Kya to buy them. 

“No, I meant it,” Izumi said, handing the necklace back to the vendor. He frowned at her, taking his work back with an offended huff. 

“She’s so lame,” Kya said to the man, rolling her eyes. Behind her, Izumi stuck out her tongue. “How much for these earrings and the necklace though?” she asked. 

“30 yuans,” he said, “but only if  _ you’re _ the one who’s gonna wear it.” Kya grinned.

“Obviously!  _ I _ have some taste,” she said, fishing around in the bag attached to her belt for her money. 

“Well then, they’re both yours, miss,” he said, moving to wrap both purchases for Kya to take. She handed over the bills, excited- she could wear these at Qin Lee’s next bash. Maybe Ember Island wasn’t the  _ most _ exotic location, but they were still authentic Fire Nation jewels. And handcrafted too! 

“Thank you sir,” Kya said, taking the bag from him. She turned and grabbed Izumi by the arm, dragging her back down the street. “Come on, let’s find something for you to wear that’s not...this.” 

“What’s wrong with this?”

“Don’t you think it’s kind of drab? I mean red robes, shoulder pads, big deal we get it. You’re Fire Nation.”

“These are antiques! Dad and Aunt Azula wore robes just like these when they were my age,” Izumi insisted, her cheeks reddening. Kya laughed.

“Yeah, and that’s fine for like, royal meetings and stuff,” she said. “But we’re on an island! This is a vacation. You need to chill out more.”

“I’m chill!” Izumi protested. “And I’m the only one of you who actually  _ wanted _ to come here.” Kya rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, well, that’s because they’re  _ actually _ your aunts,” she scoffed, “and you’re not the one missing a party this weekend.” 

“You’ll live,” Izumi said flatly. “I don’t understand why you all are so against this anyways. Ember Island is nice, and Aunt Azula and Aunt Ty Lee aren’t as bad as you always make them out to be.” 

Kya, who knew Izumi was close to Azula, bit back a retort. She wasn’t going to be  _ that _ mean. It wasn’t worth getting her head bit off. She did, however, shrug. 

“You parents don’t tell you about what she really did during the war,” was all she said instead. Izumi, predictably, frowned.

“No, they don’t,” Izumi admitted. “But Aunt Azula does. She’s never hidden that from me.” Kya shrugged again, before spotting a clothing store.

“Hey, look!” she said, pointing. “Maybe we can find you something more fun in there! Come on.” She took off in that direction, Izumi following reluctantly. Inside the store it was dark and cool, a relief from the summer sun. 

“Oooh,” Kya said, immediately eyeing a sleeveless red dress with sparkling gold embellishments on one of the racks. “Izumi, you’ve gotta try that on!” 

“Really?” Izumi looked at it skeptically. “Kya, I’m not really the ‘sleeveless’ type.” 

“Sure you are!” Kya shoved it into her unsuspecting hands. “Just try it, who knows! Maybe you’ll meet some cute boy here, and then you’ll need it.” She winked, ushering Izumi towards the changing rooms. Izumi hesitated, but seemed to know a losing battle when she saw one, and went on in. 

Kya returned to the racks, perusing some options. She normally wore Water Tribe clothes, but there was something to be said for Fire Nation fashion. Kya pulled a longer dark red skirt off the shelf, wondering what she could pair it with. Something that bared her midriff, maybe? She glanced around, only to find an even cooler scarlet ensemble with a halter top and cuts in the sides of the dress. Much sexier, and it would look great with that necklace and maybe a pair of black boots. Kya grinned to herself, imagining what it would be like to wear this out back in the city. Her friends might be shocked to see her in something so blatantly Fire Nation, but you could get away with anything in Republic City, especially in the queer scene...

“Well, what do you think?” Kya turned, her thoughts interrupted, and Izumi stood there in the red dress. It was simple, just a little sleeveless thing, and Izumi looked incredibly self-conscious in it. But it complimented her so well anyways, with her dark wavy hair and golden Fire Nation eyes- she almost looked hot. 

“Nice!” Kya said, grinning cheekily. “Look at you, there’s a girl under all those robes after all.”

“Come on, Kya,” Izumi chided, looking away. “Is this really...me? I mean, I don’t think a princess is supposed to wear a dress like this...”

“Hmm...probably not,” Kya admitted. “But come on, it’s one weekend on the island. It can’t hurt!”

“And I’m not going to meet any boys,” Izumi said petulantly, though her cheeks colored. “That’s not why we’re here.”

“Oh, just get the dress,” Kya insisted, turning back to the rack. “You’ll need a good date outfit someday.” She glanced back through the corner of her eye, watching Izumi play with the material between her fingers. She bit back a smile. Izumi might be an awkward turtle duck, but even she must want to feel attractive sometimes. 

And though Kya wouldn’t admit it right now when she was busy teasing, she knew damn well that Izumi had it tough sometimes. She was the only heir to the Fire Nation throne, and there were a lot of expectations on her and her behavior and how she looked and dressed. Kya knew a bit about that as the Avatar’s kid. Even if she wasn’t Daddy’s precious airbender- she  _ was _ her mother’s little waterbender. 

So, if Izumi bought one little dress that her dad wouldn’t like, so what? Kya had done worse.

“Okay, fine, I’ll get it,” Izumi finally said, and Kya grinned. “But I am not meeting any boys. My dad would kill me.” 

“Baby steps, princess.”

* * *

In the end, of course, it was Kya who got them into trouble. Tenzin had spent a perfectly enjoyable, blessedly  _ quiet _ morning on the beach with just Lin (they had stayed a respectable distance from Azula, Ty Lee, and Su), and was just about ready to come in for lunch when Kya had come tearing up the path to the house, waving a piece of paper in her hands. Izumi trailed behind her, gasping for breath.

“Teeeen-ziiiiiiin! Liiiiiin!” Kya called, stopping just before reaching the front porch. “Guess what?” 

“I’m guessing you’ll tell us anyways,” Lin said in a deadpan, crossing her arms. Tenzin sighed at his sister- she was always like this. Wild and crazy, just as bad as Bumi. What he wouldn’t have given for another airbender as a sibling.

“Check this out!” Kya said, bouncing up the stairs and thrusting the sheet of paper into Lin’s hands. Lin read with a scowl on her face, and Tenzin, despite himself, peered over her shoulder.

“...you can’t be serious,” Lin said. Tenzin squinted- it was hard to see with Lin’s hand covering half the text, but he got the gist of it.

_ Party tonight, 9pm.  _

“Kya, this is a bad idea,” Tenzin said, anxiety fluttering in her chest. “Dad sent us here to stay  _ out _ of trouble, not find it!”

“Lighten up, airhead,” Kya said, sticking out her tongue. “It’s just a party.”

“Where did you even get this?”

“Just some guys downtown. Mao and Ling, we met them on the boardwalk,” Kya explained, throwing her arm around Izumi’s shoulders. “They’re cool, I promise! Right Izumi?”

“Uh...I mean we don’t  _ really _ know them,” Izumi stammered, pushing her glasses up her nose. Tenzin frowned.

“See? This is stupid,” he said. “We’re not going, Kya.” 

“Oh come  _ on, _ ” she whined, pushing Izumi away as quickly as she’d pulled her in. “I’m missing the party of a  _ lifetime _ back in the city, the least you could do for me is go to this one! Besides, what can happen? It’s Ember Island!”   


“Exactly!” Tenzin countered. “It’s a vacation spot, there’s bound to be...hooligans! And...and alcohol!”

Kya snorted, and even Lin rolled her eyes. Tenzin flushed, crossing his arms.

“Well there will be. And we can’t get involved with that!”

“Why not?” Kya argued. “I’m old enough! And I’ll be your chaperone.” She grinned in a way Tenzin could only describe as devious. “Come on guys, live a little! We’re on vacation! Besides, do you really want to spend another night…” Kya trailed off, gesturing to the house, “...here? With them?”

Lin and Tenzin both glanced up at the house- from inside the sounds of Azula and Ty Lee puttering about the kitchen could be heard, and Su’s voice rang out, “No! I don’t like the dragon sauce!”

“...maybe it would be fun,” Izumi piped in, biting her lip. “I mean, I’ve just...never gone to one before. Dad wouldn’t let me.” She fiddled with the edge of her sleeve.

“All the more reason not to go!” Tenzin insisted. “Lin, you agree with me, right? This is insane!” 

But Lin, for all that she was the most sensible person in their little group, was staring towards the house with a look of disgust on her face, and Tenzin suddenly feared this was a losing battle. 

“It’s not a good idea,” she said, but at the sound of a piece of meat smacking the window and a shout from Ty Lee, she winced and said, “but it can’t be worse than that, can it?” 

“But Lin! Your mom is the chief of police,” Tenzin puffed up, indignant, “what if you get in trouble?” 

Lin scoffed and said, “She won’t care.” 

Tenzin deflated. He hated when she was right- knowing Toph, she’d probably even encourage it. But Lin had never been like that. She wasn’t wild like Toph or Suyin. She was quieter, like him, more serious and focused. That was what he liked about her- she kept his feet on the ground. 

“You...don’t really want to go, do you?” he asked, stepping up to her. She frowned. “Lin?”

“...I don’t know.”

“Come on, Lin,” Kya interrupted, stepping up onto the porch. She rested a hand on Lin’s shoulder. “One night of fun, before…” she trailed off, and something passed between the two girls that Tenzin didn’t understand. Lin looked away, back to the house, then up at Kya. Tenzin stepped back, a sinking feeling in his gut telling him he’d lost this fight. 

“Whatever,” Lin finally said. “It beats spending quality time with them,” she gestured her thumb towards the house. Tenzin winced. 

“Yes!” Kya clapped her hands together, not waiting for Tenzin’s permission before launching into a plan. “Okay, so it says the party starts at nine, but it’s fine to show up later, so we’ll plan for ten. Azula and Ty Lee will be in bed and we’ll sneak out the windows. No one will know we’re gone!”

“And if they do find out?” Tenzin said, raising an eyebrow. “Because I don’t want to be on Azula’s bad side when she’s mad. Do you?”

“She won’t be that mad,” Izumi said, stepping into the circle, and three sets of eyes looked at her in disbelief. “I mean it! She’s not that bad, guys. I’ll smooth things over if we get caught.” 

“So we’re all in agreement? We’re doing this?” Kya asked. Izumi nodded, and so did Lin, albeit more reluctantly. Kya turned to Tenzin. “Tenzin?”

He debated his options- he could put a stop to this right now, tell Azula what was happening and make sure it didn’t. But that wasn’t really an option, when he half expected her to shoot blue fire at them for the slightest infraction. He could let them run off and be stupid without him. Let them take the fall if they got caught. Or he could go, and try to keep the girls out of trouble. He glanced at Lin, who wanted to be an officer, who was the youngest in the group (not counting Su). He couldn’t just let her go with only Izumi and Kya, could he? 

Unbidden, the thought of some Fire Nation guy hitting on her flashed in Tenzin’s mind. No. That  _ definitely _ wasn’t an option.

“...fine. I’ll go.” 

His mom was going to  _ kill  _ him.

* * *

After the disaster that was lunch, Ty Lee was determined dinner would be an easier affair. She collapsed on the couch next to Azula- the kids had gone out back for a while, and though Ty Lee could definitely hear the sounds of earthbending, which was  _ definitely _ going to ruin her garden, she just couldn’t bring herself to care.

“Have we ever had all five of them at once before?” she asked, shutting her eyes as she leaned back against the cushions.

“Not since Suyin was a baby,” Azula said, her arm covering her eyes. “Izumi was never this difficult at Su’s age.” 

“...Kya was,” Ty Lee mused, eyes fluttering back open. She stared up at the ceiling, face pinched in thought. “Remember that time she flooded the back washroom?”

“Oh spirits, don’t remind me,” Azula groaned. “ _ Waterbenders _ .” Ty Lee couldn’t help but giggle. It was much funnier in hindsight, but she could remember it clearly- five year old Kya, and her nine year old brother Bumi standing in a pool of water, a pipe burst in the wall and surrounded by ice, the two of them absolutely soaking wet. Azula had been furious.    


They sat for a moment, and Ty Lee thought Azula might fall asleep there, sunken into the cushions with her arm over her face. She glanced over at her exhausted wife- not as young as she used to be, with streaks of gray in her dark hair and a few lines around her mouth- but beautiful as ever. For a moment she was content to just sit there, staring, until Azula’s voice shook her from her thoughts.

“Do you expect she’ll grow out of this?”

“Hmm?” Ty Lee started, blinking- she’d lost track of the conversation.

“Suyin,” Azula said, lowering her arm to reveal piercing gold eyes. “Do you think she’ll grow out of this picky eating phase?”

“Oh,” Ty Lee said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Probably. She’s only eight, you know. And if I remember correctly, Zuko was just as bad when we were kids. Mai definitely was.” Azula snorted.

“Zuzu wouldn’t touch anything green for years,” she scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. “Still won’t if he can help it.” Ty Lee laughed lightly.

“Maybe we should just do sandwiches for dinner,” she suggested. “The older ones won’t mind.” Azula nodded, returning her arm to its place over her eyes. 

“It’s stressful having all of them here,” she muttered, and Ty Lee just nodded. After so many years, Ty Lee was well attuned to Azula’s ever-changing moods. She knew Azula loved the kids, but it was hard on her sometimes. Ty Lee said nothing about it, however, instead folding her legs up onto the couch and curling up against her wife’s shoulder.

“It’s a lot of fun, but you’re right,” Ty Lee said quietly. “Suyin’s just like her mom.”

“To a fault,” Azula agreed. “Talented, though. Tough kid.” From outside came the sound of rocks colliding, and a chorus of laughter. Ty Lee smiled even as Azula winced. 

“I think she’s sweet too,” Ty Lee said. “Kind of like someone else I know.” Azula lowered her arm again, looking only at Ty Lee.

“Oh really?” she said, smirking. “And who would that be?”

“Hmm,” Ty Lee teased, tapping the edge of her chin as if in thought. “Just some silly princess I know. Talented bender, real tough on the outside but gooey on the inside. Like chocolate.”

“I hate her already,” Azula said with a pretend scowl. Ty Lee just leaned up to kiss her. And it worked, because Azula kissed her back. Ty Lee tried to pull back, a smile on her face, but Azula clearly needed more. She pulled Ty Lee back, pinning her arms tightly against her chest, bringing their mouths together again.

They stayed that way for a moment longer, before Ty Lee finally extracted herself from the embrace.

“Go take a nap, okay Azula?” she said, hauling herself up off the couch. “I need to go make sure they’re not totally wrecking the fire lilies.” 

* * *

With her victory assured, and the plan to sneak out to the party locked in, Kya spent an inordinate amount of time considering what to do with her hair. Obviously she was going to wear her new Fire Nation dress, which was currently hidden under the bed and was definitely going to look hot with the over-sized necklace (Izumi had no idea what she was talking about.) But she wondered if her usual hairstyle was a bit too...well, Water Tribe. 

Kya stared at her reflection in the mirror, poking the misshapen topknot she’d tried and failed to construct in her thickly textured hair. She stuck her tongue out, trying to readjust the pins. What she  _ wanted _ was a look she’d seen her mother wear when she was younger, with half of her hair pulled back into a top knot and the other half flowing free, but right now it just looked like a floppy bird’s nest on top of a bramble bush. 

“Why is this so crooked?” she muttered. She glanced over towards the window- the sun could be seen setting on the horizon. Azula and Ty Lee were probably getting Su to bed now. Maybe another half hour, and they would be asleep too. So she had to get this right by then.

“Okay. We can do this. This is our first party where no one knows who we are,” Kya told her reflection. “Where we can just...be. Not have to ‘come out’ to anyone. So. We’re gonna get this stupid hairstyle. Right?”

Her reflection nodded.

“Great. Okay.” She grabbed another pin, trying to twist some more hair into the top knot, when a knock came at the door. Kya flinched, jamming the pin into her skull.

“Ow…who is it?”

“Just me.”

Azula’s voice. 

“Oh...uh…” Kya yanked the pin out, massaging her skull and searching frantically for a brush. “Um, one minute, I just need to…” she trailed off, but it was too late, and Azula had pushed open the door. Kya stared at her, one hand rubbing her skull and further disheveling her already tangled hair, the other holding a hair pin. Azula raised a brow.

“What are you doing?”

“Um...nothing?”

“Really?” Azula said, that smug smirk that Kya hated crossing the older woman’s face. “Looks like something.” 

“Ugh,” Kya groaned, flopping down on the bed. She quickly decided on a partial truth. “I was just...trying a new hairstyle. Some girls were wearing it down at the market.” 

“I see,” Azula said in a way that made Kya uncertain whether or not she believed her. “Well, if that’s meant to be a topknot, it looks terrible.”

“Thanks.” 

“You know, you could have just asked how to do it,” Azula said, moving towards the bed. Kya sat stiffly. 

“Well, I, uh...didn’t wanna bother you...you know, this late,” she said, looking everywhere but Azula’s eyes. 

“It’s 8:30.”

“Yeah...but you’re, you know...a firebender…?” Kya tried for a grin. It was unconvincing, judging by the look on Azula’s face. An uncomfortable beat passed, and the older woman sighed.

“You know I’m not going to eat you, right?” she finally said, and it was as sardonic as it was sad. Heat rose in Kya’s cheeks, and a slight prickle of shame bubbled in her stomach. It was no secret amongst the others that she had never liked Azula much- she had thought it was a secret to Azula, though. 

“I…” she trailed off, admitting defeat with a sigh of her own. She  _ could _ use the help, after all. She held out the pin. Azula gestured for Kya to stand and picked the brush up off the bedside table. 

“It isn’t terribly complicated,” Azula said, picking the pins out of Kya’s misshapen bun. Kya stood straight, trying not to squirm. Azula’s hands were awfully close, and all Kya could think of were the stories her mother had told, about blue flames that burned so hot they were cold, about forked lightning and gold eyes sharp as knives.

Kya had never seen the blue flames herself, but she had seen the danger lurking just behind Azula’s flat expression, and it scared her. It always had. 

Right now, however, her hands were surprisingly gentle as they tugged the bun apart. 

“I never took you as one with an interest in Fire Nation fashion,” Azula commented lightly. Kya shrugged.

“When on Ember Island, right?” Azula merely hummed in agreement, beginning to pull the brush through the thick tangles. Kya winced. 

“Do you know, my old firebending teachers used to have a saying about Ember Island,” Azula said, briefly meeting Kya’s eye in the mirror. “That the beach has a way of smoothing even the most ragged edges.”

“What?”

“That was my reaction too,” Azula laughed lightly. “Though there is some truth in it. The beach has a way of pulling things out of us.” Kya glanced down, stomach suddenly dropping out from under her- did Azula know? 

“What...what do you mean?” she asked, trying to put on her best innocent smile. Azula only shook her head, focusing in on a particularly tough snag in Kya’s hair. 

“Oh, nothing really,” she said. “Only that sometimes, the beach pulls our best secrets out of us.”

“S-secrets?”

“Mm-hmm,” Azula nodded. Kya’s heart raced in her chest. Azula knew. Azula  _ definitely _ knew, and any minute now she was going to yank Kya around and demand answers, demand to know why she’d been lied to, and then she might show Kya that blue fire after all.

Or worse. She’d tell her  _ mother _ . 

But several seconds passed, and all Azula did was finish brushing out Kya’s hair. If she knew, she wasn’t saying anything. Kya let herself relax a little. 

“All right, pay attention to this part,” Azula said, and Kya snapped to attention. “Watch the way I maneuver the hair, like so.” Kya did as instructed, if only because she  _ did _ want to be able to do this herself someday. She kept her eyes on the mirror as Azula demonstrated the quick movements, replacing the pins in Kya’s hair in a neat, perfect topknot. Kya blinked.

“But...that was so easy,” she said, turning to face Azula properly. The older woman smiled.

“It is,” she agreed. “But I didn’t learn until I was around your age either.” Kya raised a brow, wondering if she should bother to ask- maybe it was obvious, maybe it was something Azula didn’t want to talk about- but Azula seemed to read the question in her face, and answered anyway.

“As a child I had servants to do my hair. And no one cared what your hair looked like in the asylum.”

“Sorry,” Kya winced again, picking at her nails uncomfortably. But Azula surprised her again by laughing. 

“Calm down,” she said, “it’s not exactly a secret.” Kya’s lip twisted- no, it wasn’t, but it wasn’t like something she’d want to talk about, was it?

“Um...well, thanks,” Kya said, turning back to the mirror. The hairstyle was flawless, as she had imagined. It was simple, but different enough from her usual look that she thought it would blend in better. And it looked nice. 

“You’re welcome,” Azula said, setting the brush down where she’d found it. She made her way to the door, pausing for a moment in the doorway to look back at Kya. “And remember what I said about secrets.” 

As Azula disappeared from view, Kya had the strangest feeling she wasn’t talking about the party after all. 

* * *

Only a moment later, Azula made her way down the hall to the room where Ty Lee was currently trying to wrangle Suyin into bed. The eight-year-old, for all that she was incredibly small, put up a decent fight about it. 

“But the older kids get to stay up!” Su argued, crossing her arms. “Why don’t I get to?”

“Speaking of, I need to talk to you about them,” Azula whispered, sneaking up behind Ty Lee and wrapping her arms around her wife’s waist. Ty Lee jumped.

“Azula! Don’t scare me like that,” she said, turning to swat Azula’s arms away. Su made a face.

“Ugh, gross,” she muttered. Azula, sensing a solution to the bedtime problem, smirked.

“Gross, is it? Well, this is  _ all _ we’re going to do tonight, if you want to stay up,” she said, moving as if to kiss Ty Lee. Catching on, Ty Lee giggled and pursed her lips exaggeratedly. 

“Ew!” Su chirped, yanking the blankets over her head. “Good night!” 

The two women laughed, and Azula  _ actually _ kissed her wife, if only to confirm the threat. But at the sound of Su gagging, they turned and left, shutting off the lights and closing the door. 

“Think she’ll actually go to sleep?” Ty Lee asked, leading Azula back down the hall and towards the bedroom they shared. Azula chuckled and shook her head.

“Not likely. But she’s  _ in _ bed, and that’s what counts. Speaking of…” Azula trailed off, shooting a small spark of flame to light the kerosene lamp in the corner, “the older kids are going to sneak out later. I overheard Kya talking about it to her reflection.”

“ _ What? _ ”

Azula nodded, sitting on the bed and pulling the hairpiece out of her topknot. She thought briefly about what Kya had said, all that she'd overheard- the phrase 'come out' in particular _-_ and so her mind was quite made up about it. Ty Lee stood above her, however, indignant hands on her hips. Azula shrugged.

“She was trying out an old Fire Nation hairstyle when I walked by,” Azula explained. “She wasn’t exactly being quiet about it.” 

“I’m sorry, back up for a minute,” Ty Lee interrupted. “The kids are going to some unknown party? Tonight?”

“Yes, that’s what I said.” 

“And you’re...what, letting them?”

“Of course.”

Ty Lee’s mouth fell open, gaping. Azula met her nonplussed eyes with a firm gaze. 

“It’s not like we never went to a house party at their age,” she said.

“That was one time! And we didn’t sneak out, Lo and Li let us go, remember?” Ty Lee insisted, flopping down on the bed next to Azula. 

“And I’m letting them now,” Azula countered. She shut her eyes. “This is an important part of growing up. A teenage rite of passage.”

“Their parents are going to kill us if they find out.”

“And that is precisely why I’m allowing them to go.” Azula opened her eyes again to look at her wife. Ty Lee turned, propping herself up on her elbow.

“Come again?”

For a moment, Azula considered her response. Truthfully, she had thought Ty Lee would understand her reasoning immediately. She hadn’t, however, and Azula sighed. She hated opening up.

“You know we didn’t exactly...have a normal childhood,” she said, voice straining on her words. Ty Lee sat up straighter, frowning. Azula glanced away. “That party...that weekend on Ember Island, before everything...”

“Azula, you don’t have to-”

“No, it’s all right,” Azula interrupted, holding up her hand in remonstrance. She gave a small smile. “That’s...one of the few memories I have of that time that’s  _ happy. _ ” 

Ty Lee was silent, but she sat up straight again, and her eyes were sad. Azula plowed on.

“They’re not really having a normal childhood either,” she explained, gesturing vaguely towards the doorway. “Kya and Tenzin are the Avatar’s kids. Everything they do reflects on him. And Lin, well...her mother is the chief of police. Lin knows she can’t act out without there being repercussions, even if Toph doesn’t. And Izumi’s the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation. I know better than anyone what that’s like.”

“So...you want to let them have this here,” Ty Lee said, a look of understanding crossing her face, “where no one knows them.”

“Exactly. Like we had,” Azula grabbed her hand. “It’s only one weekend.”

“Do you really trust them to be safe? I mean...we destroyed that guy’s house by the end of the night.” 

“Well he had it coming,” Azula snorted. Ty Lee rolled her eyes. 

“Not the point, Azula.”

“Well...my point is, that I want them to have some fun. And if that means destroying some dumb boy’s living room, then…” she shrugged. “I’ll be happy to pay for the damages.” Ty Lee shook her head.

“Only if you also accept that Katara will murder us both if she finds out.”

“I can live with that. She still owes me a proper Agni Kai.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact- ginkgo bilboa is a real Chinese remedy for psychosis, and this has actually been investigated by Western researchers. It's been suggested that it can enhance the efficacy of antipsychotics. 
> 
> If you're wondering why I never state a real diagnosis for Azula, please see the author's note at the end of the first chapter. I'm not interested in giving her a label. I am, however, interested in depicting what living well with a severe mental illness might look like in this universe. I kept the psychotic symptoms a feature of her disorder for that reason- psychosis is in desperate need of destigmatizing and if this fic can play even the smallest role in doing so, then I'm happy to write it. 
> 
> It is becoming very apparent, as I continue writing this, that Kya is our primary protagonist here. She's quickly become my favorite to write for, which was admittedly unexpected. But her voice just jumped out at me. Her story arc is going to be a lot of fun in the next couple chapters. The overall emotional through line is still largely about the kids bonding with/learning more about Azula, but Kya's got her own separate journey that I'm really excited about.


	3. Saturday- Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some mild sexual content (it's really very tame, but possibly bears repeating that Kya is 18), and teenage ableism. Some slurs are used. A reminder that the characters' views are not necessarily reflective of my own.

Izumi definitely had a bad feeling about this. She had a bad feeling getting ready that evening, a bad feeling as they crept out the windows and down to the beach front road, a bad feeling when Kya knocked on the door of the house, and a bad feeling as they were led into a loud, crowded living room by some burly teenage boy. 

While Kya immediately flitted off to chat up some girls on the other side of the room, Lin and Tenzin had siddled over to the emptiest corner they could find, both standing stiff and formal and clearly wishing they were anywhere else. That left Izumi alone by herself, stranded in the middle of the room in her uncomfortable dress and over-large glasses.

She never should have let Kya drag her into this. What had she been thinking?

_ Maybe it’ll be fun, _ she’d thought. She wrapped her arms around her middle, searching desperately for something to do with herself. What was one supposed to do at an informal party? She knew exactly what to do at one of her dad’s social gatherings, but here? Where no one had any idea she was the Crown Princess? Izumi felt like a regular fish out of water.

Her eyes found the punch bowl. That would work. She made her way over, pouring herself a rather generous amount. 

“Hey,” came a voice, one obviously attempting to sound deeper than it really was. Izumi dropped the ladle and glanced up, locking eyes immediately with the boy she’d met earlier that morning with Kya- Ling, was it?

“Um...hi,” she said, forcing a smile. 

“Glad you made it,” the boy said. 

“Uh, me too,” Izumi lied, fiddling with her cup. “H-how are you?”

“Good, I’m good,” the boy said, running his hand through the back of his hair. Izumi wished she could remember his name. It had started with an L, right? Lee? Lao? That wasn’t right...and he was talking again. “So...where you from?” 

“Oh, uh...I’m from the mainland,” Izumi stammered, looking off to the right. 

“Oh yeah? Where in?”

“C-caldera City...my family works there,” she said, pressing her lips together. 

“Caldera? The big city? Wow…” the boy gave a low whistle. “What’s your family do?”

“Um...my dad’s...he’s in politics,” Izumi tried hard to grin. It wasn’t a lie...technically. In theory. Probably. 

“Woah. My dad’s just a carpenter,” he said, “back in Hira’a. So...what brings you all the way to Ember Island?”

“Just a little vacation,” Izumi said. “My aunt has a house here.”

“Cool, cool. I’m staying with my friend. You met Mao,” he said, nodding his head in the direction of another boy, who gave a wave. Izumi flashed a shaky smile. Right. Mao had been the skinny one. So this must be...was it Ling?

Maybe it was Ling. 

“I come here every summer,” he continued on, and Izumi snapped back to attention, wishing to whatever gods were listening that she could just remember his stupid name. 

“Y-yeah?”

“Yeah. Mao’s family lets me, you know. Get away for a bit. This is his house, by the way.”

“Oh...it’s very nice,” Izumi said.

“Probably seems small compared to the capital, right?”

“Oh...I don’t know about that,” Izumi said, covering her embarrassment with a laugh. Of course it was small compared to the Royal Palace. But Lee or Ling or whatever his name was didn’t need to know that. 

“Anyway...it’s a good time, Ember Island. You been before?”

“Um...a couple times. Mostly just to see my aunt,” Izumi said, sipping at her punch, heart pounding in a way she didn’t think it was supposed to when talking to a boy. Was she also supposed to be nauseous? 

“Oh, yeah. Yeah that’s cool. It’s a good place. You know, beach and stuff.”

“Yup. The beach.”

“Yeah.” 

There was silence for a moment. Privately, Izumi hoped this dude would get the hint and leave her alone. He didn’t. She tapped at her glass, looking everywhere but at him. 

“So...what do you like to do for fun?” he asked. “Into music?”

“Oh...um…” Izumi stammered.  _ Shit _ . “I, uh...my great-uncle played the tsungi horn. He was pretty good.”

“The tsungi horn?”

“Yeah. He was always so funny with it,” she laughed a little, the memory of Great-Uncle Iroh pretending to be bad at it for her amusement flashing in her mind. “We always knew he could play it, but sometimes he’d blast a wrong note just to make me laugh.”

Ling (she was pretty sure it was Ling) laughed, and said “that’s pretty wild. I’m pretty into the Roaring Rhinos myself. You heard of them? They’re a new group from Republic City.”

Izumi, of course, had never heard of such a band in her life. Naturally, she lied about it.

“Oh, yeah, the Roaring Rhinos! They’re great,” she said with a nervous smile. “I love that guy who...does the thing…” she trailed off, mimicking the motion of someone playing a mandolin. 

“You mean Mushi?”

“Yeah! Mushi...that’s the one.” Izumi grinned widely, too widely, and she felt the heat creeping back into her cheeks. Spirits, she was  _ blowing _ this. Where was Kya when she needed her?

One glance across the room answered that question- Kya was a natural flirt. Izumi watched for a moment as the pretty Fire Nation girl next to Kya blushed, laughing at something Kya must have said. Was it easier with girls, Izumi wondered? 

She’d never tried. Not that she had tried much with boys either, if this disaster of a conversation was anything to go by. How did it come so easily to Kya? Even Lin and Tenzin…

Izumi swallowed. 

“Um, well...I think I’m going to just...go talk to my friends for a minute. Thanks,” Izumi said, handing the boy her punch, “for inviting me.” 

“Oh...yeah, yeah no problem. Got it. Um...can I find you later?”

Izumi stopped, considering him for a minute. He wasn’t bad to look at, she supposed. And he seemed nice. And yet...she frowned. 

Something just wasn’t there.

“I...I’m sorry, I...I got to go.” 

* * *

Kya knew, the moment they arrived at the party, that two things were true. One, she was the eldest of their group, and therefore responsible for the welfare for the younger kids she’d dragged along with her. And two, she was absolutely  _ not _ about to play babysitter all night. So the others better handle themselves. 

Thus far, all had gone well. Lin and Tenzin were, predictably, boring. And though Kya had lost track of Izumi a while ago, she couldn’t pretend she cared much. Not with her hands buried deep in the hair of a pretty Fire Nation girl, and her lips on her neck. 

“Mmm,” the girl, whose name was Aki, moaned softly, “you’re so good at this…” Kya glanced up, a playful smirk on her face.

“I’ve had some practice,” she hummed, bringing one hand down to rest on Aki’s shoulder. She trailed her fingers across her soft skin, marveling momentarily. The two had split off from the main party after an hour or so of flirting back and forth, ducking out to find a more private space. Kya had no idea whose bedroom this was, nor did she care, but she had to thank them for having such a large and comfortable spot to set a mood. 

“You know, I’ve never been with a Water Tribe girl before,” Aki said, playing with a loose strand of Kya’s now rumpled hair. The top knot that Azula had so easily created had been torn free by Aki’s hands, and Kya relished the thought. 

“Yeah? I bet you don’t meet too many of us here in the Fire Nation,” Kya said, rolling to the side and propping herself up on her elbow. Aki shook her head.

“What’s it like in the city? I mean, you know…” Aki gestured between them, “for dating...like us?”

“Oh…” Kya glanced up at the ceiling for a moment, lips pursed in thought. “It’s...I guess it’s good. There’s a community of us there...with people from all the nations.”

“So?” Aki asked, eyes narrowed slightly, “do you have a girl back home?” Kya shook her head.

“No one serious,” she said. “My parents...they don’t really know about me yet...I don’t want to bring someone into that drama.” 

“Mine either,” Aki said, twisting the strand of Kya’s hair in her fingers. “I’d like to see it someday though. The city.” Moonlight streamed in from the large windows, dancing across Aki’s face and lighting up her golden eyes. Spirits, she was beautiful. 

“I think you’d like it,” Kya said, leaning over to kiss Aki again. Aki hummed against Kya’s lips, and Kya wondered if this was the freedom her father preached so much about. She’d always thought it was the feeling of the wind against your face, with the clouds above and the world below. Something only her father and brother could share, a freedom that left her behind on the ground.

But when she was here, like this, with a beautiful girl lying next to her who had no idea that she was the Avatar’s daughter, Kya thought maybe she could feel the wind. Kya deepened the kiss, letting her hand trail down Aki’s shoulder to her chest, her thumb gently circling the edges of Aki’s breast. Aki moaned softly.

“We just finished,” she whispered, but Kya silenced her with another kiss.

“We’re not like boys,” Kya said, grinning. “We can go as long as you want.” 

“As long as  _ I _ want?” Aki said, raising an eyebrow. “What about you?”

“Me?” Kya ran her thumb over the tip of Aki’s breast, and grinned. “I think I could do this all night.” 

“You don’t know me.”

“Exactly.” 

This time, Aki kissed her.

* * *

From her spot in the corner of the room, Lin had to admit that the concept of a party wasn’t, by itself, the worst thing in the world. So she’d spent most of the night sitting on the bench with Tenzin, and so the music was too loud and people were shouting- this corner, at least, wasn’t so bad. 

Though, they could have been doing this literally anywhere else. But whatever. It made Kya happy. 

“Do you want something to drink?” Tenzin asked, interrupting Lin’s thoughts. “I’m parched.” 

“Sure,” Lin said, realizing that she’d been zoning out for the past few minutes. She had no idea what Tenzin had even been saying, distracted by the thoughts in her head. They were so loud when he was around.

Tenzin nodded and left, wandering over to the punch bowl. Lin’s eyes followed him, watching as he grabbed a couple cups and nearly dropped them both. She stifled a laugh- he was such a nerd. 

“Hey, thought that dweeb would never leave,” came a voice from somewhere above her. Lin’s head snapped up, green eyes locking with the brown of some Fire Nation kid she’d never met. She frowned.

“Who are you?”

“Name’s Min-woo,” he said, flicking a stray lock of hair out of his face. He probably thought it looked cool. Lin thought he looked like he hadn’t cut his hair since the Hundred Year War. 

“What’s your name?”

Lin crossed her arms and didn’t answer. The boy frowned. 

“Hey, don’t be like that,” he said, sidling up against the bench. “Come on, you can’t really  _ like _ that kid. He wouldn’t leave you alone!”

“ _ Tenzin _ is my friend,” Lin said, shooting Min-woo a withering glare. 

“Oh, okay, okay,” he said, holding up his hands in apparent surrender. “Well, maybe you need someone to be  _ more _ than a friend, eh?”

“What are you implying?” Lin hissed, eyes narrowed dangerously. If this kid was seriously trying to  _ flirt _ with her, she was going to fling his sorry butt into the next century. 

“Hey! Back off her!” rang Tenzin’s voice, followed shortly by a burst of wind that left Min-woo’s hair standing on end. Lin jumped. 

“What the-” Min-woo hurried to fix his hair, glancing around for the source of the wind. Lin frowned at Tenzin. 

“Dude, what the hell?” Min-woo said. Tenzin placed a protective hand on Lin’s shoulder.

“I said back off,” Tenzin growled.

“What, is she your girlfriend or something?”

“ _ Yes. _ ..now get lost, you...you...punk!” 

“Oh boy,” Lin sighed, smacking a hand to her face. If the motion hid the rising blush in her cheeks, well, that was just a bonus.

“All right, all right, fine,” Min-woo said, already backing away. “Just chill out dude, it’s a party.” But when Lin looked back up, he was gone, and Tenzin was fuming. 

“Why did you do that?” she asked. Tenzin huffed, flopping back down next to her. “I had it handled.”

“That guy was way out of line!” Tenzin crossed his arms. Lin noticed the drinks he’d gone to fetch them were nowhere to be found. 

“You didn’t have to call me your girlfriend in front of the entire party!” she insisted. “What if Kya or Izumi heard you?” Tenzin only shrugged, but his face had gone red. 

“It doesn’t matter,” he mumbled. Lin sighed. 

“I could have taken him,” she grumbled, leaning back against the wall. Tenzin rolled his eyes.

“I know that,” he said. “I was just trying to help you! Besides, if you’d broken that guy’s nose, we’d have been kicked out of the party. Or worse. Someone would tell Azula!” 

“Azula wouldn’t care,” Lin scoffed. “She’d probably be proud.” 

Tenzin opened his mouth to protest, but seemed to think better of it, and said “actually, you might be right. But still!” Lin bit back a laugh. She wanted to be annoyed at him, but he made it so difficult sometimes. 

“Just...don’t do it again, okay?” Lin said, trying very hard not to react to the thought of being his girlfriend. They weren’t together like that, after all. He was her best friend, that was it. Except when it wasn’t. 

“Never?” Tenzin asked, an uncharacteristically goofy grin on his face. Lin flushed, and smacked him on the arm. But his words scratched at something that had been growing between them for as long as Lin could remember. For all that Kya’s teasing made her want to sock the waterbender in the face sometimes, Lin knew she was right about them. 

Which was exactly why Kya  _ could not  _ know.

Ever. 

“...just. Not yet,” Lin grumbled, looking away and trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks and the beating of her heart. 

“But...this…” Tenzin gestured between the two of them, “I’m not...imagining this, am I?” Out of the corners of her eyes, Lin shot him a furtive glance. Tenzin’s face was beet red, but his eyes were serious. Her lips quirked upwards.

“No,” she murmured, stubbornly looking away again. “No, you’re not.” 

* * *

Back at the beach house, Ty Lee couldn’t sleep. Maybe it was because Suyin had crawled in between them some time after midnight and refused to budge. Maybe it was because it was just so damn  _ hot _ , even with the windows wide open. Maybe it was because she was worried about the kids. 

Whatever the reason, Ty Lee decided there was no point lying there driving herself crazy. She slipped free of Suyin’s tangled limbs with the dexterity of an acrobat, padding quietly out to the balcony. It was one of the nicer features of their Ember Island home, the balcony right off the bedroom. It was their favorite spot in the mornings- Azula would do her meditation on the bamboo mat, while Ty Lee would sit in her chair and read, listening to the sounds of the ocean and the otter gulls just waking up. Things were never more peaceful than in the morning. 

Though, as Ty Lee leaned against the wooden railing and stared up at the moon, there was something to be said for the night, too. All was quiet, except for the sound of the waves and the distant rumbling of the village. Ty Lee fixed her gaze in that direction- she couldn’t see the town from here, but she could hear it, and the light pollution in that general direction turned the night sky a hazy orange. 

She hoped the kids were okay. 

“Hey,” came a quiet voice, and Ty Lee nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Azula!” she admonished, hand pressed to her heart. “Don’t scare me like that!” 

“Sorry,” Azula chuckled, coming to stand behind Ty Lee and wrapping her arms around her waist. She pressed her chin to Ty Lee’s shoulder. “What are you doing out here?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, leaning back into her wife’s embrace. “Did I wake you?”

“Yes, but it’s fine,” Azula said, pressing a soft kiss to Ty Lee’s shoulder. “You’re not really out here worrying, are you?”

“Yes, actually, I am,” Ty Lee said, “which is what a  _ responsible _ aunt does when her niece sneaks out to a party at some stranger’s house.”

“They’ll be fine,” Azula said, and Ty Lee could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “Izumi’s a smart girl. She deserves a little freedom.”

“I get it, Azula, I do, but...it’s not really  _ her _ I’m worried about,” Ty Lee tried to explain. “It’s other people. You know how boys can be.” Azula’s grip loosened slightly, and she shifted so she could actually look Ty Lee in the eye. 

“You don’t think…?”

“I don’t know, I...I just know it happens. Sometimes.” Azula frowned, and it was clear she hadn’t seriously considered the possibility that the kids could be harmed. 

“They know how to protect themselves,” she said after a beat. “Kya is an excellent waterbender, and Lin takes after her mother in that regard.”

“And what about Izumi?”

“You know Mai,” Azula said, waving one hand dismissively. “She taught Izumi everything she knows about knives. And you and I taught her hand-to-hand combat. She’s very good, you know.” Ty Lee rolled her eyes, because of course she knew, but then she frowned. 

“They’re not like us, though,” Ty Lee said quietly. “They’ve never had to fight when there was any real danger.” She stared down at the wood beams, visions of a childhood spent at war dancing behind her eyes. It was different when you were scared, when there was a real threat, and your life and your nation were on the line. 

“I trust them,” Azula murmured. Ty Lee glanced back, and her wife’s eyes were distant. She knew they were both thinking of the same things. 

“We had so much responsibility when we were their age,” Ty Lee mused. She laughed for a moment. “Remember Ba Sing Se? I still can’t believe we did that as teenagers!”

Azula snorted, rolling her eyes, and said, “Please. The Dai Li were no match for us. They’re still not.” Ty Lee laughed again. She knew they’d been in the wrong, that the Fire Nation had been on the wrong side of the war- but every time she thought about conquering such an impressive city with her friends by her side, well...it was such a tangled up mess of feelings, really. Shame. Excitement. Anger. Pride. Fear. Fun. Sadness. 

“We were just kids,” Ty Lee said, breaking free of Azula’s grip so she could turn and face her. “Playing at war.” Azula looked away, her face darkening. 

“I know,” she said. Then she crossed her arms, and looked back at Ty Lee. “But it wasn’t always so terrible.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Ty Lee agreed. But then she sighed. “Look, I know that’s why you want the kids to have a normal childhood, and a fun vacation, because we didn’t have that, but...they’re not us. And I accept your decision on this, really, but you can’t tell me not to worry about them.” Azula softened slightly, and took hold of Ty Lee’s hands. 

“I know this seems reckless,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “And maybe it is. But I think they need this experience. Especially Kya. I can’t explain, I just...I need you to trust my intuition on this.”

“I do trust you, okay? But I’m still gonna worry,” Ty Lee said again, vaguely wondering what it was about Kya specifically. “That’s what aunts are for.” 

“Well,” Azula said, and she grinned in that devilish way of hers, “if you’re really worried, we could always sit up and wait for them. That would certainly scare them off doing this again.”

Ty Lee swatted her arm, but she laughed.

“ _ Azula! _ ”

* * *

In the end, Kya did not spend the entire night with Aki. Partly because the other girl had eventually fallen asleep. But also mostly because she’d heard Tenzin out in the hallway calling her name, and knew she had to get out of there before he found her in a bedroom with a girl. 

Frantically Kya leapt out of the bed, trying not to disturb her sleeping partner as she threw her clothes back on. She hated to leave like a thief in the night, but what choice did she have? If Tenzin found her, she was a goner, he would tell Azula and then Azula would eat her alive. Or worse, he’d blab to their parents, and then they would _actually_ kill her all the way dead.

So Kya snuck out the open window, sparing one last glance at the sleeping Fire Nation girl with the beautiful black hair and golden eyes who’d actually seemed to  _ like  _ her.

“Sorry, Aki,” she murmured, “I’m not the type who stays.” But even as she lowered herself out the window and onto the sand below her, she couldn’t help hoping that somehow, Aki would find her in Republic City. For a moment she sat there, crouched in the sand, considering. She knew she needed to sneak back inside and find out what the heck Tenzin wanted. 

But maybe...she glanced around, for a moment thinking she could leave some kind of message in the sand. She shook her head- that was stupid, and she was being ridiculous. 

Did every relationship have to end this way, though? Was she only ever meant for secret one night stands, for these private moonlight trysts only to sneak away at dawn? She wanted more than this, damnit. This double life...when was she going to get to live _ , _ to  _ love _ , like a normal person?

Kya scrubbed at her eyes- when had they started watering? She thought about what Lin had said last night, about telling her parents. It was so tempting, and yet the thought of her mother’s disappointed face kept her mouth sealed shut. 

She and her mother were the last true Southern Waterbenders. Tenzin might have to carry on the Air Nation and their father’s legacy, but she was the one expected to uphold her mother’s. She couldn’t do that if she was  _ gay _ .

Kya sniffed, tracing the shape of a heart in the sand. She was gay, though. Nothing was ever going to change that.

* * *

Izumi, in the end, spent the majority of the party bemoaning the fact that Kya had ditched her within 30 seconds of arriving. Not because she’d had any great desire to spend time with Kya, exactly, but because after ditching Ling or Lee or whatever his name was, she had been subsumed by a group of Fire Nation kids playing games and been unable to escape them since. 

They were all right, Izumi supposed, but after her third time beating Mao at Pai Sho, she was starting to get bored. She couldn’t relate to their conversations with each other, she hadn’t had the life that these kids had. And it was becoming apparent, the longer she hung out with them, that she stuck out like a sore thumb. Still, she’d managed to make herself the person to beat at Pai Sho, so that was something. But the raucous cheering and egging on of every sucker that challenged her felt so foreign to her. Izumi knew Pai Sho as a peaceful, intellectual game of strategy. Not a party game. 

“My win, again,” she declared, setting the lotus tile in place. Mao smacked his forehead, and the small crowd around them groaned. Izumi rolled her eyes. 

“Lotus!” he exclaimed. “Why do I always forget the lotus?”

“Most do,” Izumi said, removing the chips from the board.

“You know, I think she’s better than that one old lady who lives up the hill,” one of the boys said. Izumi’s head shot up. Old lady on the hill? They couldn’t mean...

“What? No way,” a girl replied. “No one’s better than the Dragon Witch!”

“Dragon Witch?” Izumi burst out, indignant. But Mao only looked at her and nodded, his eyes going wide. 

“Yeah, she’s this scary old lady who lives up on the hill above the village,” he said, lifting his hands for dramatic effect. “They say she can breathe fire and shoot lightning from her eyes.” Izumi’s eyes narrowed.

“Seriously? No one can bend lightning from their  _ eyes _ ,” she scoffed.

“No it’s true!” the first boy who’d spoken said. “She’s messed up, man. Chan says he saw it once!” Another guy, one Izumi had beaten about an hour ago, nodded emphatically. 

“One of the guys at school dared me to go steal a flower from her garden,” he said. “You know, because it’s haunted and stuff. I couldn’t back down, obviously, so I snuck over the gates, total stealth mode. It was quiet, and I was just about to take the flower. Then, next thing I know, this crazy lightning comes flying right at my face!”

“You’re so brave,” a girl said, hanging off Chan’s arm. Izumi scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“Sounds like you’re making this up,” she said. 

“I’m not, honest! After the old bat shot me I high-tailed it out of there. I barely made it over the fence alive!” Chan insisted. Izumi bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. It was so obvious who they were talking about, but  _ old bat? _

“It’s true, they say she kills anyone that tries to steal from her,” one of the girls said. “And my friend Ming ran into her at the market one time, like,  _ literally _ ran right into her! And she says the Dragon Witch was talking to herself, like...talking at  _ no one _ .”

“What, you mean like…” Mao pulled his eyes apart and stuck his tongue out, making ghoulish noises. The group around him laughed.

“No, no, it was more like…’aaah, I will turn everything you love to ashes!!’” the girl laughed, brandishing her arms wildly. 

“Spirits, she’s such a psycho.”

“Plays good Pai Sho though,” Mao said, turning back to Izumi with a grin. “Wins the tournament every year. I think it’s because people are too scared to give her a real challenge, though. You should try it sometime, Izumi.”

“No, Mao, what if Izumi beats her? She’d eat her heart or something!”

“What? Don’t be stupid, Rei.”

“Well, she’d definitely shoot her full of lightning! Who’s to say she doesn’t eat the people she kills?”

“Huh...good point…”

“ _ Enough! _ ” 

Izumi stood suddenly, knocking the Pai Sho board off the table. White hot fury blazed through her. The gang drew back, startled, and Izumi lamented not being a firebender. She’d have shown them  _ lightning _ , if only she could. 

“Woah, what’s your deal?” Mao asked.

“Yeah, it’s only a joke,” Rei scoffed. Izumi’s hands shook. 

“You think this is a joke? That’s...that lady....” she bit her tongue, wanting badly to tell the truth but knowing that would give away who she was. She huffed loudly instead. “She’s probably just an old lady who doesn’t want a bunch of stupid teenagers stealing her stuff!” 

“What do you know? You don’t live here,” Chan said, crossing his arms. Izumi bit back a scream of rage. How  _ dare _ they talk about her aunt like that? But she couldn’t say that, so she settled for storming off instead.

“I’m leaving,” she said curtly. She’d had enough of this stupid party anyway. Izumi marched out the front door, slamming it behind her. She couldn’t believe she’d let Kya talk her into this. And to think, she’d actually thought it might be  _ fun.  _

Izumi sat heavily on the edge of the wooden porch, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. Out here, at least, she could hear herself think. The mosquitoes and summer flies buzzed around the lamps by the door, and it was a welcome relief from the constant chatter and inane giggling from inside the house. She sighed.

All this time she’d been coming here, all those visits to see her aunts, and she’d never known people still talked about Aunt Azula like that. All the things that made her aunt amazing- her bending, her sharp intellect, even her mental illness- were reviled by the islanders. Or at least, by these stupid teenagers. 

_ Dragon Witch?? _

“...Izumi?” Came a familiar voice from behind her. Izumi glanced up- it was Kya, crawling out of the bushes by the side of the house. “What are you doing out here?”

“Nothing,” Izumi said, returning her head to its previous position on her knees. “What were you doing out there?”

“Nothing,” Kya said, plopping down next to her. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Fine,” Izumi sighed, deciding she didn’t really want to know. “Where’s Lin and Tenzin?”

“Still inside,” Kya said. “I think they want to head back. I heard Tenzin yelling for me.”

“So...you snuck out here?” Izumi asked, raising an eyebrow. Kya shrugged with a look on her face that screamed suspicion. But then she softened slightly, resting her chin on her hands.

“We can leave soon,” she said. “I just...needed a minute on my own.”

“I thought this was your thing,” Izumi said. “Did something happen?”

“No,” Kya said shortly, in a way that made it clear Izumi was not to ask a single question. It also made it very clear that something had, in fact, happened, but she wasn’t going to get answers tonight.

“You talked me into this, you know. Saying all that stuff about needing to get out of the palace and talk to boys who aren’t my dad’s council members…”

“I wasn’t wrong,” Kya countered. “And did you? Talk to some real people?”

“Kind of,” Izumi said with a shrug. “But I don't think it matters. This...” she gestured to the dress she was wearing, then back to the house, “isn’t me.”

Kya shot her a questioning look, but Izumi didn’t respond. Kya knew perfectly well what she meant. They sat in silence for a moment, Kya’s gaze returning to the night sky, and Izumi’s to the ground.

“I don’t think I fit in with people,” Izumi muttered, resting her chin on her knees. “I can’t talk to boys. I don’t want to date. I kept getting challenged to play Pai Sho in there, and it wasn’t any fun even though I kept winning, and then…”

“And then?” Kya asked. Izumi sighed heavily.

“A bunch of them started gossiping about Aunt Azula,” she said. “They didn’t say it was her, but it was obvious. They just kept insulting her, because she’s different. And I just wonder...are they going to do the same thing to me, when I’m Fire Lord? Just because I’m different too?”

“Well, so long as you don’t start talking to yourself, I think you’ll be fine,” Kya deadpanned. Izumi shot her a glare.

“Seriously, why does everyone keep going on about that?” she exclaimed, tugging a hand through her hair. Kya pulled back, stunned. “She’s a person, you know! And yes, okay, sometimes she talks to herself, and that looks a little weird because we don’t know what she’s seeing, but she’s not  _ crazy! _ ” 

“I didn’t…”

“Yes you did!” Izumi stood suddenly, hands on her hips. “You all do! I see the way you three look at her, and I hear the snide little comments you make! But have any of you ever, for one minute, stopped to think that _she’s my_ _aunt?_ ” 

Kya had the good sense to look mollified. 

“I’m...I’m sorry, Izumi,” she stammered. “It’s just…she’s always so...you know…”

“What, Kya? What do I know?” 

Kya snapped her mouth shut. 

“That’s what I thought.” Izumi sat back down with a huff. “I know you all just hate her because your parents tell you war stories. But have you ever thought to ask us about our side?”

“What, so we can hear the Fire Nation’s sob stories?” Kya asked, a sudden hardness to her eyes. Izumi winced, realizing too late just whose kid she was talking to. “Your people slaughtered mine! Both of them.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Izumi said, regretting her words. “I just meant, yeah Aunt Azula was fighting for Ozai, but she was just a kid! She was Lin’s age! And my dad was mine. Have you ever thought to ask what that was like?”

Kya’s softened slightly, glancing away like she hadn’t really considered that before. Izumi knew she hadn’t. None of them had, because none of them cared. All they saw was a weird, scary old lady who could bend lightning and talked to people who weren’t there. They’d never bothered to see anything else.

“Well, I have,” Izumi went on when Kya said nothing, shooting her a cold look. “And maybe if you’d been in her place, you’d be hearing voices too.”

* * *

It was nearly three in the morning by the time the kids snuck back into the house. Azula heard them shushing one another, rather loudly, as they made their way down the hall. She cracked one eye open, smiling to herself- sometimes it paid to be a light sleeper. Didn’t those idiots know the floorboards creaked?

She shut her eyes again. They were her idiots, she supposed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someday as Fire Lord, Izumi will oversee major mental health care reforms in honor of her aunt.
> 
> I've largely been trying to use real world names for all the original characters because I really don't want to try making up "ethnic" sounding names...seems like a bad call. Aki is lowkey named after Akito Sohma, because I'm greatly enjoying the Fruits Basket reboot. Min-woo is a real Korean name, and pronounced "Min-u". I know this because I know a real life Min-woo lol.
> 
> I realized as I was writing this that I sort of paralleled the Gaang kids with the Fire Nation kids' storylines from The Beach- Lin and Tenzin with Mai and Zuko (relationship issues), Kya with Azula (trying and failing to find a partner), and Izumi with Ty Lee (seriously will boys please stop flirting with me???) That wasn't the original intention when I started this, but I think it works as a nice homage...
> 
> The next chapter may take a little bit longer to finish, as the academic semester is starting to ramp up and I'm in my third year of a PhD program. Free time is dwindling rapidly, but I hope to have this finished by Halloween.


	4. Sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um...so. This took longer than expected. We're gonna blame my qualifying exam. But here it is, the final chapter. Hope it was worth the wait.

Morning dawned bright and early, and Izumi right along with it. It didn’t seem to matter how late she’d gone to bed- well past three in the morning in this case- she always found her eyes cracking open with the sun. Izumi groaned slightly as she looked at the clock. Just past six-thirty. Never mind that she wasn’t even a firebender. She sighed.

Dragging herself upright, Izumi pulled a robe around her waist, sparing a glance at where Lin and Kya were still passed out in their beds. Lucky them. With a shrug, Izumi slipped out of the room and wandered down the hall and towards the back porch, where she was sure to find Aunt Azula and Aunt Ty Lee enjoying the sunrise. 

As long she could remember coming here, her aunts had always been up to greet her every morning. The porch wrapped around the entire house, and propped as it was on the cliff, overlooked the ocean. Izumi could hardly remember a time that she hadn’t known that view, with the morning sun glinting off the water and lighting up the sand. She could remember coming out there as a kid. She’d sit with her aunts every morning she was on the island. It was something she just associated with Ember Island, the view of the ocean and the comfort of her family’s presence. Sometimes her parents would be there, sometimes it was just her, but her aunts always were. 

Izumi pushed open the front door, walking around to the back. As expected, she saw her aunts sitting in their usual chairs, just as she knew they’d be. Izumi smiled- some things just didn’t change.

“Good morning Izumi!” Aunt Ty Lee chirped, a bright smile on her face. “I...wasn’t sure if we’d see you this early today.” Izumi shrugged, noting the warning glance Aunt Azula sent Aunt Ty Lee’s way. She seated herself on the mat next to Aunt Azula’s chair.

“You know me,” she said, fiddling with her sleep-mussed hair. “Up with the sun, like Dad.”

“Certainly not like your mother,” Azula snorted. “Ty Lee had to practically drag Mai out of bed when we were on the road.” Izumi laughed lightly as Aunt Ty Lee shook her head.

“She’s not so bad now,” Izumi said. She dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling at a knot. She probably should have at least brushed her hair before coming out here, but she hadn’t wanted to wake the others. She wrestled with it for a moment, trying not to yank any hairs out. 

“So…” Aunt Ty Lee said, and Izumi could feel her aunt’s eyes on her.. “Are you having fun this weekend?”

“What?”

“Are you having fun?”

“Oh…” Izumi swallowed, suddenly a little nervous at this line of questioning. Had they been caught after all? “Yeah, I guess. You know I like visiting.”

“Mmm,” Aunt Azula hummed in affirmation. “Still, it must be different with the others here. Normally it’s just you.” Izumi gave another shrug, relaxing a little. Maybe they were just concerned she felt left out.

“They’re fine. Kya and I get along okay...mostly. Lin’s all right, and Tenzin’s…” Izumi bit her lip, suppressing the urge to say something mean. He was annoying, but he wasn’t that bad. Most of the time. 

“Well, as long as you’re having fun,” Aunt Ty Lee said, but her tone was just a little off. Like there was something else she’d wanted Izumi to say. Izumi narrowed her eyes just slightly- there it was again, that suspicion that they  _ knew. _ Her aunts could have heard them coming back in last night. Were they waiting for her to confess?

They’d be waiting a long time, then. Izumi loved her aunts dearly, but even she wasn’t that much of a snitch. She wouldn’t do that to Kya.

But the silence resumed, and so Izumi went back to slowly detangling her hair. After a beat or two, Aunt Ty Lee picked up her book again, and Aunt Azula sat back in the chair with her eyes closed, face turned towards the rising sun. She breathed low and even in a way that Izumi knew was meditative. She wondered vaguely what it was like, to feel the sun’s fire inside of you. It must be the most amazing kind of power.

Not that she’d ever know.

As the silence stretched on, Izumi decided that, if her aunts did suspect about the party, they weren’t going to ask, and let herself relax again. Her thoughts turned instead to the actual  _ content _ of the party, and how very  _ not  _ fun it had been. She bit back a sigh, frowning at the strands of hair in her hand. Ember Island _ was _ fun, when she was here with her family, but being around a bunch of normal kids had made something painfully obvious to her that hadn’t been before.

“…hey, Aunt Azula?”

“Yes?”

“Did you…did you ever…fit in with other kids? I mean, when you were younger?” Izumi asked before she could stop herself. Aunt Azula cracked one eye open, fixing Izumi with a questioning look. Aunt Ty Lee set her book down.

“Fit in?”

“I just mean…did other people like you? Other kids?” Izumi asked, biting her lip. Aunt Azula’s eyes opened fully as she sat straight again, and Aunt Ty Lee slipped delicately off the chair to kneel beside Izumi.

“Izumi, do you feel like you don’t fit in?” she asked, resting a hand on Izumi’s knee. Izumi’s cheeks burned. She should have just kept her mouth shut.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, looking away from Aunt Ty Lee’s big, concerned eyes. Above her she could practically feel her aunts making anxious eye contact with each other. Ugh, why had she even asked?

“It was…different, being the princess,” Aunt Azula said carefully. “I had a…unique position.” Izumi’s jaw clenched. She knew  _ that _ .

“I liked Azula right away,” Aunt Ty Lee offered, a smile on her face. “She was so bold, and for some reason decided she liked  _ me _ the best out of all my sisters. I always felt special with your aunt.” Above them, Aunt Azula made a noise that was somewhere between a scoff and a gasp.

“I wasn’t exactly the nicest child,” Aunt Azula muttered, and Izumi spared a small upwards glance at her aunt’s flushed face. Aunt Azula had her arms crossed, eyes shut in apparent annoyance, but she was definitely blushing. Izumi smiled.

“No,” Aunt Ty Lee agreed, “but I liked you anyway.”

“What about Mom?” Izumi asked, her curiosity piqued now that the conversation had moved away from herself.

“She…I think Mai sometimes felt like she had to be Azula’s friend, because she was the princess,” Aunt Ty Lee admitted. Aunt Azula frowned. “But she did like her. They had a lot in common.”

“It was only the three of us for many years,” Aunt Azula said. “To be honest with you Izumi, I didn’t really care what anyone else thought. I knew my position, and that was that. My father…Ozai…always taught me never to concern myself with the opinion of those beneath me.”

“…I see,” Izumi said, staring up at her aunt. She didn’t talk about Ozai much, but when she did, it always sounded so unbearably sad. Like something she regretted, but maybe also missed. Izumi could never quite figure it out.

“But I expect that’s not what your father has taught you, is it?”

“No,” Izumi shook her head, “Dad always taught me that our subjects are our responsibility, and we must always show them kindness, and compassion.” Aunt Azula scoffed, then smiled.

“Sounds like Zuzu.”

“And he’s right, of course,” Aunt Ty Lee said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s easy, being the crown princess.”

Izumi froze, because they were back to talking about her feelings.  _ Shoot _ . She’d thought she’d dodged that bullet, but Aunt Ty Lee wasn’t going to let it go, was she?

“Suppose not,” she shrugged, drawing her knees up to her chest. She rested her head on them, twisting her head to look up at Aunt Azula.

“It’s true that there’s a pressure that comes with your role,” Aunt Azula said. “Someday you will be Fire Lord. It won’t matter then whether or not you fit in with ordinary teenagers. You will have a duty they can never understand.”

“But that doesn’t make it any easier now,” Aunt Ty Lee cut in, brushing a bit of Izumi’s still tangled hair away from her face. “Was there something that happened yesterday that made you think of this?”

“I dunno,” Izumi mumbled, letting her aunt continue fussing with her hair. She was better with it anyways. “Some boys tried to flirt with me, that’s all.”

“Boys?” Aunt Azula raised an eyebrow. Izumi buried her head in her knees and groaned.

“It’s no big deal. I didn’t even like them.”

“Not at all?” Aunt Ty Lee asked, her tone teasing. Izumi groaned again.

“ _ No _ ,” she insisted, because she hadn’t. “Boys aren’t my problem.”

“Fine,” Aunt Azula said, and asked, “girls then?” Face still hidden, Izumi shook her head.

“No one.”

There was a beat of silence. Aunt Ty Lee’s hands stopped their movement.

“Izumi…have you ever had a crush on anyone?” she asked, her hand falling to Izumi’s shoulder. Her breath hitched slightly, because that was the nail just waiting to be hit, wasn’t it? She sighed.

“No. I don’t think so.”

She’d known it for a while now. No matter who she talked to, or how nice they were or how good they looked, something was always  _ missing _ . 

“Oh,” said Aunt Ty Lee. Izumi heard the note of surprise there, and shame welled up in her chest. She lifted her head towards Aunt Azula instead.

“Is there…something wrong with me?”

Aunt Azula froze for a moment, but almost as quickly anger flashed in her eyes. She all but hissed, “ _ No. _ No, Izumi, there is nothing wrong with you.”

Despite herself, her chin wobbled.

“Oh, it’s okay,” Aunt Ty Lee said, gathering Izumi in her arms. “Not everyone gets crushes at your age.” Izumi let her aunt hold her, wrapping her arms around Aunt Ty Lee’s waist as she bit back tears. Last night had made her feel so  _ wrong _ , so unsure of herself, she found it hard to believe Aunt Ty Lee’s words.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Do you know my sister, Ty Lin? She never married anyone.”

“And Toph never married either,” Aunt Azula said. “She’s never had a relationship last very long, and likes it that way.”

“Is that…is that normal?” Izumi asked, trying to discreetly wipe her eyes as she pulled back from Aunt Ty Lee.

“Of course,” Aunt Azula said. “Surely you know from us that there’s more than one way to have love in your life, Izumi.” Izumi stared at the ground. That was true, but she’d always thought even if you didn’t love the opposite sex, you should still love  _ someone  _ in that way. Romantically.

“…I guess. But…” Izumi shuffled herself back, twisting her hands in the fabric of her robe. She bit her lip. “Won’t my dad expect me to marry someday?”

“Not necessarily,” Aunt Azula said carefully. “You…will need an heir. But that can be anyone, really. Whoever you choose. There’s no strict rule about it.” 

“Your dad is the nicest guy I know, besides maybe Aang,” Aunt Ty Lee said. “I’m sure he’ll understand any decision you make, Izumi.”

“And if other people want to judge you for it, that’s their problem.  _ They’re _ not going to be Fire Lord,” Aunt Azula said, poking Izumi in the arm. She laughed, her heart feeling much lighter.

“And if they do,” Aunt Azula said, “just send them my way. I’ll be sure to teach them a lesson about disrespecting  _ my _ niece.” Izumi batted her aunt’s hand away, grinning. But then without warning she remembered what those boys had said last night. Her gut twisted nervously. 

_ Dragon witch. _

“Actually…maybe it’s better that you don’t,” she muttered. The last thing she wanted was for things to get any worse. Aunt Azula frowned.

“I didn’t mean I’d actually-“

“No, I know, just…people…still talk.” Aunt Azula sat back in her chair, all mirth gone from her eyes.

“What do you mean, Izumi?” Aunt Ty Lee asked.

“It’s just…yesterday, when I was, um…down in the village with Kya, we overheard some boys talking…it was obvious it was about you,” Izumi said, looking down. It wasn’t  _ totally _ a lie. She had been in the village yesterday. And she had overheard boys talking. Just…not at the same time.

Above her head she heard Aunt Azula sigh.

“Izumi, what did they say?”

“Just…dumb stuff. It’s probably not important,” Izumi rubbed her arm, glancing briefly up at her aunt, whose expression was blank.

“Izumi. Please.”

“Fine,” Izumi sighed, knowing she couldn’t ignore a direct request like that. She shut her eyes. “They…they called you ‘dragon witch,’ and ‘psycho.’ And said you shoot lightning at people. And talk to yourself. And…maybe one of them mentioned eating hearts.” She opened her eyes and shot another furtive glance up at her aunt, who to Izumi’s shock was visibly holding back laughter. Izumi snapped her gaze over to Aunt Ty Lee, who shook her head in clear amusement.

“What?”

“You said a bunch of teenage boys said this?” Aunt Azula asked, unable to hide her grin. Izumi nodded, and at this Aunt Azula  _ did _ laugh. Izumi was taken aback- wasn’t she insulted? Didn’t she care?

“Is this because of that time that one kid snuck into the back gardens?” Aunt Ty Lee said, hiding a giggle behind her hand. “Oh, he was  _ so _ freaked out. You should have seen it, Izumi.”

“What? What happened?”

“It was only a warning shot,” Aunt Azula said through her laughter. She paused for a moment to wipe her eyes. Izumi stared. _ What _ was so funny? “Some kid snuck over the fence, we think on a dare, to steal one of the flowers. I only shot a  _ little _ fire off to the side.”

“Yeah, and then he started yelling for help as he tried to climb back over the fence,” Aunt Ty Lee said. “He was so scared he kept slipping. It was so funny.”

“Is that…funny?” Izumi asked, not sure she was getting it. So they’d scared some kid and he’d spread terrible rumors about her aunt?

“I just wanted him out of the garden,” Aunt Azula said, calmer now. She shook her head. “I’m sure he only said all those things to save face, Izumi. No teenage boy in their right mind wants their friends to know they got scared off by a harmless warning shot from an old woman.”

“…oh.” Maybe she got it now. “So…not everyone on the island hates you?”

“No, dear,” Aunt Azula said, leaning forward to rest a hand on Izumi’s shoulder. She glanced up at her aunt, swallowing at the warmth in her eyes. “I’m sure there’s some who spread rumors about me, but no, not everyone hates me.”

“But it’s very sweet that you care,” Aunt Ty Lee said, voicing the emotion Aunt Azula could not. Izumi flicked a bit of hair away from her face. Maybe she’d made a big deal out of nothing. But she wasn’t ever going to let anyone disrespect her aunt like that- even if they were just a bunch of dumb boys.

“…they also said you were really good at Pai Sho.”

“Well that, of course, is completely true,” Aunt Azula said, giving Izumi’s shoulder a soft squeeze before releasing her. “I win the tournament every year, you know.”

“I know, Aunt Azula.” 

* * *

Making an excuse to get away from the group for a little while had been easier than expected when Izumi had glued herself to Azula’s side and Kya refused to get out of bed. Tenzin had initially thought it would be difficult to sneak away, but as it happened, all they’d had to do was say they were going down to the beach before lunch. Not a soul even offered to accompany them. 

Tenzin couldn’t believe his luck, really. He’d been wanting an excuse to be alone with Lin since last night. Really alone, with no possibility of being overheard, spied on, or otherwise disturbed. He knew she was a private person- and that was fine with him- but he couldn’t get what she’d said out of his head. That was why he led her down the edges of the beach, away from the house and around the corner of the rocky cliffs that sprung up from the sand. He knew it was the right choice, too, because the further they got from any possible prying eyes, the more Lin visibly relaxed. 

Good. He couldn’t have this conversation if she was tense. 

Because Tenzin had thought about it. He’d thought about it all night- what she’d said at the party, how he felt about her, everything- and it was time to be honest. No more dancing around it like an airbender, Tenzin had decided. He was going to take a page from her books and face it head-on, like earth. Like a rock. 

That did not mean, however, that he wasn’t terrified.

They walked in silence, Lin seemed to be enjoying the moment, but he couldn’t as he rehearsed the words in his head over and over.

_ So, Lin, we’ve been friends for a while now, but I’ve always felt a stronger connection. I understand if you don’t want to tell the others, but I’d like for us to be…more. _

Was that too vague?

“I’m glad we’re going back today,” Lin said, jolting Tenzin from his thoughts.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” she shrugged. “The beach is nice and all, but the company’s been…less than stellar.” She nodded back in the direction of the beach house. “I hate coming here with my sister.”

“Mmm,” Tenzin grunted in acknowledgment. “It’s not very polite, but I can’t say I enjoy spending time with Azula, either.”

“She’s not so bad,” Lin said, “Azula has a brain at least. It’s Ty Lee that annoys me.” Tenzin gave a noncommittal nod- Ty Lee was nicer, but he saw Lin’s point. She had her annoying moments. Still, it was Azula he’d never forgiven. She may not have hurt him directly, but he knew what she was. 

“Maybe if Dad hadn’t told me so much about the war, it would be easier to like them,” Tenzin admitted. “But he took us to the Air Temples, you know. All the destruction…and I’ve seen his scar, too. The one  _ she _ gave him.”

Lin glanced at him sympathetically. Tenzin knew she was familiar with the war stories too, they all were- byproduct of having parents war heroes for parents. It was hard to forget who had been the villains of those stories. Even when they invited you for a weekend at the beach.

But that wasn’t what he wanted to talk about now.

“But enough of that!” Tenzin said, rolling his shoulders back. “Did you…did you enjoy yourself last night? At the party…?”

“It was all right,” Lin said with another shrug. “Not exactly the rager that Kya promised.”

“No,” Tenzin chuckled, “no it was not.”

“Kind of boring, to be honest.”

“Was it?”

“Yeah. All those dumb kids seeing who could get more drunk…I don’t know why Kya likes it,” Lin said, glancing up at Tenzin with a wry smile. He had to laugh.

“Well, Kya’s never been one for good judgment,” he said, kicking slightly at the sand. “She’s always doing this, sneaking out at night. She’s lucky I’ve never told on her!”

“You’re a good brother,” Lin said, looping her arm around Tenzin’s shoulder and grinning. “If it were me I’d have told on her on day one.”

“You just want an excuse to tattle on Suyin.”

“Do not!” Lin insisted, removing her arm. Tenzin smirked.

“Do too.”

“Do not!”

“Mmm-hmm. Sure.”

“You’re impossible.”

“But you still hang out with me.”

“Ugh…you’re the worst!”

“And you like me!”

“Do not!”

She glared up at him, hands on her hips, lips twisted into the world’s least convincing frown. For a moment Tenzin stared, trying to think of a witty response, but the way her dark curls fell against her face was incredibly distracting. It hit him then, as it so often did, just how cute she was- and how badly he wanted to kiss her.

Tenzin could only laugh. He stepped back, all his nerves from earlier getting the better of him. He wrapped his arms around his middle, laughing and laughing because there was nothing else he could say, was there? And she laughed too, because what else could she do, either?

“This…was not how I saw this going,” he admitted, standing straight again. Lin swiped at her eyes- she’d laughed so much she was crying- and shook her head.

“You’re impossible,” she said, but her smile was fond.

“I guess I am,” he said, moving a little closer. His heart leapt in his throat- now or never. There was never going to be a better moment. She was smiling, she was relaxed and happy and looking at him like maybe she wanted to kiss him too.

He could just do it. Cut out the awkwardness.

“Hey…Lin?” he said quietly, reaching out tentatively for her hand instead.

“Yeah?” She didn’t move away. He inched closer still. Their fingers touched. The words he’d rehearsed flew right out of his head.

“You remember…last night, when you said…?” He trailed off as her hand curled around his. His breath caught in his throat. She was always the braver one, wasn’t she? Steady and sensible, but bold when she had to be. So unlike him.

“I said you weren’t imagining things,” Lin whispered, so quiet he had to lean his head even closer to hear her. Her cheeks were burning red, mirroring the heat he felt in his own. He took her other hand, emboldened slightly by her closeness.

“But…” she pulled one hand away, pushing his chest back slightly, “I don’t want the others to know.” Tenzin glanced down, where her hand was now resting just to the right of his pounding heart, then back up to her eyes, and found his courage.

“They don’t have to know,” he said. “Lin, I…I’ve felt this way about you for a long time now. And…I’d really like to kiss you. I mean, that is…if you want to. Obviously only if you want to, I don’t want…”

She interrupted him by pressing her lips to his.

_ Oh _ .

For a second, everything stopped. Then she pulled back, biting her lip as her face lit up like a flame. Unable to help himself, he smiled.

“Lin, does this mean…?”

“It means whatever you want,” she said quickly, staring stubbornly at the sand even as she did nothing to pull herself away from him. “Just…don’t tell Kya. Or Su. Or Izumi. Or our parents. And  _ definitely _ not Bumi.”

“No, definitely not Bumi,” Tenzin shuddered. She laughed. “But…will you…will you be my girlfriend? For real?”

Lin looked back up, and their eyes met. Tenzin felt his heart skip a beat, certain for a second that he’d messed up, that she’d say no, he’d put his heart on the line for nothing-

“Okay.”

Okay?

“I’ll be your girlfriend.”

She kissed him again.

* * *

“Azula, what time did you say the ferry was coming today for the kids?” Ty Lee asked at lunch time, settling in beside her wife on the other side of the table. Kya watched them, the prospect of going home filling her with an equal sense of relief and dread. Part of her just wanted to get off this stupid island and leave the whole miserable thing behind. But another part wanted to stay, to find Aki again and maybe…

Kya shook her head. She didn’t even  _ know _ Aki. It was a one night thing. Nothing more. She didn’t  _ want _ it to be anything more. That was how she liked it, after all. One and done, no messy emotions or weird break ups or introducing a girl to your family as a  _ good friend _ …

Kya stabbed her chopstick into her rice. 

“This evening. The four o’clock.”

“Right. Well, that leaves you kids with a few more hours at the beach if you want,” Ty Lee said. The others gave small, largely unenthusiastic nods, but Suyin, who was seated next to Ty Lee and hanging off her arm, gave a loud whoop of joy. 

The yell clearly startled Azula, who jumped in her seat and sloshed her tea all over her tunic. She frowned, her eyes growing wide, and for a moment Kya winced, thinking she might yell at Su. But just as Azula turned and opened her mouth, Ty Lee touched her arm and gave the smallest shake of her head. Azula’s mouth snapped shut. 

“That’ll take forever to dry,” Azula muttered, but Ty Lee just ran one hand up and down Azula’s arm, like this was something she’d done a million times before. Azula took a few deep breaths, then stood abruptly. Kya watched as she fetched a small dishcloth and returned to the table, dabbing at her tea-stained tunic with little more than an exasperated sigh. 

It was such a little thing, yet Kya felt she couldn’t tear her eyes away from them. Ty Lee smiled then and smoothed back the hair from Azula’s face. She pressed a kiss to her wife’s temple. Something in Kya’s heart lurched painfully. 

It was the smallest domestic moment. Just two women sitting in their kitchen at lunch time, a child at their side, cleaning up spilled water. It didn’t mean anything. It was nothing at all. Just a touch, a look shared between lovers. The way Ty Lee giggled when Azula pretended to swat her arm away from her face. The way Azula looked at Ty Lee just then, like she was the only light in the world. 

She could see it, for a moment. Herself and Aki, maybe, or someone else. It didn’t matter. But she  _ could _ see it, could imagine it- a future. Something  _ more _ than late nights and stolen kisses, than sneaking back home and leaving the girl behind. 

Kya stood abruptly. 

“...Kya?” came Izumi’s questioning voice. 

“I’m going outside,” Kya said brusquely, pushing away from the table and making a beeline for the front door. She stepped briskly until she was out of eye sight, but then she ran. She slammed the door open, tore out onto the porch and down towards the beach, running, running,  _ running… _

She blinked away tears, falling to her knees on the sand. 

It wasn’t  _ fair _ . How could  _ Princess Azula _ , of all people, find happiness like that when Kya just knew she never would? How could a war criminal, the disgraced Fire Nation princess, be the one living out some perfect fantasy life with her perfect wife? Kya wrapped her arms around herself, and sobbed.

She was  _ never _ going to have that, was she? She’d spend the rest of her life being her mother’s perfect daughter, her little waterbender, and she’d marry some stupid Water Tribe boy and have little waterbender babies for her mom to coo over while a part of her slowly died.

Because whoever Kya was now wasn’t going to survive that. She had to uphold her mother’s legacy and there was nothing she could do about it. So Kya sobbed and sobbed, mourning the life she’d never have. 

Until she heard footsteps behind her.

“Kya?”

“ _ Go away _ ,” she hissed through her tears. The person didn’t listen. Instead she heard the sound of someone kneeling in the sand next to her. She could see, from the corner of her eye, that it was the very last person she wanted to talk to. Azula. Kya swiped at her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Kya...I want you to answer me truthfully,” Azula said, and Kya glared up at her. “Did anything serious happen last night?” Kya’s breath hitched- did Azula know about the party? But she shook her head, because either way, nothing had. She sniffed.

“No,” she said, looking away. “Now will you just leave me alone?”

“No,” Azula said, and Kya couldn’t tell if she sounded concerned or bored. “Look, I don’t really care what happened as long as you aren’t hurt.” Kya sniffed again, scrubbing her stinging eyes. 

“Well I’m not. So go away,” she said again. 

“I wasn’t finished,” Azula said. Kya heard her sigh, and there was a pause before she spoke again. “Do you remember what I said last night...about the island, and secrets?"

“I remember a lot of nonsense,” Kya mumbled, crossing her arms. She heard Azula’s exasperated huff beside her. 

“Kya, I’m not blind,” Azula said. “And I’m only going to ask you this once, so you may choose to tell the truth or not. I won’t press.” Kya glanced up, momentarily worried that Azula would ask about the party- but she didn’t see anything incriminating in the other woman’s expression. It was quite the opposite, actually, and it threw Kya off guard. 

She’d never known Azula to look compassionate. Kya swallowed, suddenly more nervous than she’d have been if Azula had her blue flames held to her throat. 

“...what?” Kya asked. Azula gave her a long look, and Kya realized that she knew what she was going to say before she even said it. 

“Are you like Ty Lee and I?”

Right.

Kya cast her eyes downwards, staring intently at the sand. She gripped her arms tightly, squeezing until it hurt. And then, for reasons she would never be able to explain, she nodded. 

Maybe it was because Azula had done her hair last night. Maybe it was because of what Izumi had said. Maybe it was because Azula’s eyes were so uncharacteristically soft. Maybe it was because Azula, for all her faults, played for the same team. Maybe it was because Kya felt so hollowed out and raw, maybe because she needed to tell someone,  _ anyone _ who would listen. 

“...yes.”

“I thought so,” Azula said. Tears welled back up in Kya’s eyes and she pressed her lips together, trying to stem the flow. 

“Who else knows?”

“Just Lin and maybe Izumi,” Kya sniffed, squeezing her eyes shut. “And some friends back home. Tenzin and Bumi suspect, but I’ve...I’ve never told them.” 

“I see,” Azula said. She touched Kya’s shoulder. “I know you and I aren’t close, Kya, but...I do have some experience with...this.” She gestured vaguely, and Kya snorted. She knew that, and yet...it had never exactly occurred to her to confide in the princess. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Kya said, shrugging the hand off her shoulder. “I can’t...I’ll never…” she trailed off with a sigh, staring out at the ocean. What she wouldn’t give to be a koi fish right now. 

“Why not?” Azula asked, as if reading her thoughts.

“Because when Mom dies, I’ll be the last Southern waterbender,” Kya murmured. She glanced over at Azula, waiting to see if the dots connected in the older woman’s mind. They did.

“Kya...you are  _ not _ just your mother’s legacy,” she said, a sudden harshness in her voice. “And you cannot live your life trying to meet the expectations others put on you. You’ll never measure up.” Kya drew back as if slapped. 

“What I mean is…” Azula held up her hands, then sighed. “You can’t sacrifice yourself chasing after who you think your parents want you to be. It doesn’t work.” She gave a wry smile, and Kya relaxed. They weren’t just talking about her anymore.

“Is that…?” Kya furrowed her brow. She’d never talked to Azula like this before, asking her personal questions. Would she even be okay talking about her past? “You’re...talking from experience.”

It wasn’t a question. Azula nodded.

“Yes. I spent the better part of two decades trying to be the perfect daughter my father wanted. The perfect weapon, really,” she said with a detached shrug that Kya found unsettling. She spoke about this like it was no more interesting than the weather. But she thought again of what Izumi had said- about Azula being a child during the war. Lin’s age. For the first time, Kya felt a pang of sympathy for the princess. “There was no room for error. And liking girls was certainly an error.”

Kya let her hands fall away from her arms, fiddling with the edge of her sleeve. For a moment she tried to picture herself in that kind of position- same sex attraction had been illegal in the Fire Nation back then, hadn’t it? And being the daughter of the most evil Fire Lord in recent memory...Kya bit her lip. 

Maybe she could understand why Azula had gone crazy after all. 

“When...when did you know?” she asked. She’d give an inch. No closer. 

“That I liked girls? Oh...I think part of me always knew,” Azula said, her tone almost dismissive. “But I wasn’t...aware of it until I was about sixteen. After I was living in Ba Sing Se with my uncle.” Kya nodded.

“I think I was fifteen,” she said. Maybe another inch wouldn’t hurt. “There was this older girl I was friends with...I dunno...it just kind of...clicked one day. That I liked her a little too much.” 

“It was always Ty Lee for me,” Azula admitted, and Kya didn’t know what shocked her more, the admission itself or the fondness in her voice. They sat in silence for a moment, and Kya thought maybe there was more to Azula than she’d given the princess credit for.

“Although,” Azula interrupted the moment, “if your mother had only said the word…”

“Ugh! Are you kidding me?”

But Azula only laughed, and despite herself, Kya felt her spirits lifting. She was being teased, not mocked, or ridiculed, or anything she might have thought Azula would do to her. And it was almost nice. 

“...you can’t tell my parents about this,” Kya said suddenly, grabbing the edge of Azula’s sleeve. A bold move she’d only think about the implications of later. Azula met her eyes, and a flicker of understanding crossed her face.

“I’m not going to out you,” she said. “But I think  _ you _ should. You are not their doll, you’re their daughter. And if they can’t accept the one they’ve got in front of them, then that is  _ their _ problem. You have to live your own life, Kya.”

Kya let her hand fall away from Azula’s arm, let the words wash over her like the waves on the shore behind her. 

“You are not responsible for their legacy.”

“But...my people…”

“The Southern Water Tribe will have more waterbenders,” Azula said, confirming that she had understood the problem after all. “Whether you have children or not.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I suppose not,” Azula admitted, and Kya couldn’t quite understand how she could talk about this so casually, when her people were the ones responsible. “But I’m confident they will. And I do know that it’s not your responsibility, either way. It’s not your job to single handedly repopulate the Southern Water Tribe.”

Kya glanced down, mulling it over. Truthfully, she didn’t know how bending worked when it came to who was born a bender and who wasn’t. So maybe Azula was right, and eventually more benders would be born in the South. There were certainly other descendents of the stolen waterbenders. But if Azula was wrong? Would an entire tribe of waterbenders be lost because Kya would rather travel the world with a beautiful girl instead of settling down?

“You don’t know what it’s like... _ your _ people aren’t nearly extinct,” Kya muttered.

“I suppose not,” Azula said. “The Fire Nation were the aggressors in the war, I’m well aware. But I’m also aware that children should not be made to bear the burdens of their parents. You didn’t make that choice.”

Kya dug her hand into the sand, twisting it through her fingers. She was torn all kinds of ways about it- between herself, and her mother’s legacy, and her people in the Water Tribe, and her  _ people,  _ her community in the city- was there no way to be all these things? 

Maybe there wasn’t. Maybe there was. 

She’d never know if she didn’t try.

“How did you...how did you do it?” Kya asked quietly.

“Do what?”

“How did you...come out?”

“Well, it’s a fascinating story, really…I suppose it all started when my Uncle Iroh discovered Ty Lee and I behind the tea shop...”

* * *

“Now, remember to tell your father he still owes me for that last pro-bending match,” Azula said with a small grin, fiddling with the ends of Izumi’s bag as she adjusted them on her shoulder. “He lost that bet and he knows it.”

“Okay Aunt Azula,” Izumi said with a roll of her eyes. Four o’clock had rolled around faster than Azula expected. The ship off the island had pulled into the dock only seconds ago, and already passengers were beginning to board. It would take them back to the Fire Nation by nightfall, where Kya, Lin, Su, and Tenzin would catch an airship back to Republic City. Azula would deny it if asked, but the prospect made her feel a little melancholy. 

“Take care of yourself, all right? We’ll see you next time we’re back in the capital,” Ty Lee said, scooping Izumi into a hug. Azula nodded- it was typical for them to return a few times a year, particularly in the winter months when Ember Island was more deserted. Izumi turned back to Azula then, rushing forward and wrapping her arms around her waist. 

“Love you, Aunt Azula,” she said, squeezing tight. Azula squeezed back, trying and failing to ignore the warmth in her chest. She loved this kid more than life itself, though she’d never tell anyone. It would ruin her reputation. 

“Love you too, kiddo,” Azula said, pushing Izumi back. Izumi smiled, before turning back towards the ship. Lin was next, exchanging a brief if slightly stiff hug, then Su, who grabbed Azula’s leg and promptly burst into tears.

“I don’t wanna go!” she wailed. Lin rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Azula knelt down, peeling Su off her thigh as she went. 

“Come on, Su,” she said as Ty Lee placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders. 

“Hey, it’ll be okay!” Ty Lee said. Su turned around, swiping at her eyes. “You can come back and visit whenever you want, okay?” Su’s lip wobbled.

“You know,” Azula said, grinning. “If you don’t get back home, you won’t get to show your mother that new earthbending move you learned.”

“She’s right,” came Kya’s voice from off to the side. She met Azula’s eyes briefly, and winked. “You’re gonna knock Toph’s pants right off!” Su giggled, and Ty Lee gave her one last squeeze before Su yanked herself away and grabbed Lin’s reluctant hand. Azula shook her head, some long-buried memory of boarding this very same boat as a child playing in the back of her mind. She could almost see it, herself glued to Zuko’s side as they whispered some forgotten secret to one another.

“Siblings,” she muttered, hauling herself back to her feet. Tenzin nodded at the two elder women before rushing to Lin’s side, taking Su’s other hand in his. Azula turned her gaze instead to Kya, who stood slightly apart from where the group had been, clutching her bag in her hands. 

“So...um…” Kya shuffled her feet, glancing down. Ty Lee, who did not yet know what had transpired between the two, stepped back for a moment, rather astutely deciding to chase off after the rest of the kids for another good-bye. 

Azula knew precisely what her wife was doing, and internally thanked her for it.

“Do you want me to keep it between us?” she asked, stepping towards Kya. “I meant what I said, I won’t out you.” 

“...you can tell Ty Lee,” Kya said, peering out of the corner of her eyes at where Ty Lee stood. “But...don’t tell Fire Lord Zuko. I think Izumi knows, but…”

“I understand,” Azula said, cutting her off. She rested one hand on Kya’s shoulder. “But for what it’s worth, I know Zuko, of all people, would be supportive.” Kya glanced back up, her eyes shining. 

“You think?”

“I happen to know  _ that _ from experience,” Azula said with the softer smile she usually reserved for her family. Kya gave a soft laugh.

“Right, of course you would…” she trailed off, shaking her head as she looked away. 

“And, for what it’s worth...I don’t think you’re giving your mother enough credit, either.” 

“What?” Kya’s head snapped back up. Azula squeezed her shoulder lightly. 

“Listen, she and I might...spar a bit, but your mother has never been anything but accepting of Ty Lee and I,” Azula said seriously. Katara was far from a friend, but Azula was certainly capable of recognizing a worthy opponent. She respected Katara, and Katara respected her. There was an understanding between them, if not any real affection. 

“I guess...I never thought about that,” Kya admitted, biting her lip. 

“I can’t promise you anything, of course, but I think she’ll be okay with it,” Azula said. “And if she’s not, you write to me, and I’ll set her straight. She’s never taken me in a fair fight.” Azula winked, and Kya actually laughed. It caught Azula slightly off guard- Kya had never laughed at her barbed quips before. 

“Thanks...Azula,” Kya’s eyes were shining again, and Azula’s heart caught in her throat. Something had forever changed between the two of them, and Azula suspected it would not be easily undone. She could see so much of herself in Kya, and the girlhood she might have had in a kinder era. Perhaps Kya might see her in a different light too, as an elder in the sparse community they shared.

Azula couldn’t find the words to say it, exactly, but she wanted that. She wanted better for these kids. She wanted to help make that possible.

“And if you ever...I admit I’m not very adept at these things, but if you…”

“I get it, Azula,” Kya interrupted. She hesitated for just a moment, but stepped back and bowed with a genuine respect in her posture that Azula had never seen there before. “Princess Azula.” 

Azula bowed back. 

* * *

Not very much later, Kya leaned against the railing of the boat, watching as the rocky shore of the Fire Nation grew closer and closer. Izumi stood to her left, Lin to her right, and Tenzin glued to  _ her _ right. For once, being flanked by these people wasn’t so annoying. In fact, it was almost comfortable. Kya glanced over at Lin, who just two days ago had encouraged her to come out, and thought of everything Azula had told her.

_ You have to live your own life, Kya. _

She thought of Aki and her beautiful golden eyes. She thought of sneaking away like a thief in the night, of all the girls whose beds she’d left cold. Kya grit her teeth. Despite her doubts, despite her fears, the weekend on Ember Island had made one thing abundantly clear- she’d had enough. No more secrets and lies. No more hiding.

It was time.

“I’m gay.”

“We know,” three voices responded in unison. Kya bit her lip and laughed. Of course they did.

A moment passed.

“…I don’t think I like anyone,” Izumi said. “Boys or girls. In  _ that _ way.”

Lin shrugged. Tenzin nodded. Kya gave a small smile and touched Izumi’s arm.

Another moment passed. Kya could make out the lighthouse just on the edge of the horizon. They were nearly there.

“Well, as long as we’re all telling secrets...Tenzin and I are dating,” Lin said. Kya’s head snapped up.

“About time!” she exclaimed, smacking Lin’s shoulder. Izumi laughed, and Tenzin’s smile was bright enough to melt the sun.

Maybe Azula was right about Ember Island and secrets after all.

* * *

It was quiet that evening, Ty Lee thought as she sat in her favorite chair on the back porch, only a small candle lit lamp lighting the pages of her book. Maybe a little too quiet after so much time with the kids, but it was peaceful all the same. Azula sat in the chair next to hers, quietly humming to herself as she filed down her nails. 

“So, turns out you were right about Kya after all,” Azula said, breaking the moment.

“Hmm?” Ty Lee hummed, glancing up from her book. 

“You remember? Three years ago, you said you thought Kya might be like us.”

Ty Lee blinked- she did remember saying that. But she didn’t know why Azula was bringing that up now, unless…

“Oh!” she clapped her hands together. “Is  _ that _ what you two were talking about? Well, looks like  _ someone _ owes me a night at the theater.”

Azula scoffed, shaking her head as she grinned.

“Fine, as long as it’s  _ The Boy in the Iceberg _ .” 

“What? But that play’s terrible!” Ty Lee pouted. 

“You never specified  _ which _ show.”

Ty Lee flopped back in her chair and groaned, “Why are you the  _ worst _ ?” Azula shrugged.

“I don’t know,” she said, blowing dust off the edge of her nails. “But I seem to recall you marrying me anyways.” Ty Lee rolled her eyes. 

“Guess it was your pretty face.”

“Damn right.” 

Ty Lee smiled to herself, shaking her head. It was a peaceful night, to be sure, but only as peaceful as life with Azula could ever be. She wouldn’t change a minute of it.

* * *

“Hey, Mom? There’s something I need to tell you…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kya's having a Day (trademark.) I really hope you all feel that the conclusion of her arc is a satisfying one- when I started this story, I intended it to be a light-hearted tale about the Gaang kids bonding with and coming to understand Azula a little better. I did not think it would also become this larger coming out story, but I'm not really the one in control of this ship. Kya surprised me with how much she was a joy to write, and I've really grown to love her so much more over the course of the last few months. She's just wonderful and when she travels the world with that first girlfriend she mentions in Turf Wars, I hope she has a damn good time. She deserves it. 
> 
> Maybe it'll be Aki, who knows. ;)
> 
> Yes, Izumi is ace. Her being asexual was also not something I'd really planned, but it just seemed to fit her character more and more as I wrote her parts of the story. I hope it came through clearly. As someone on the asexual spectrum myself (demi/gay), I know what it feels like to wonder if there's some part of you that's "wrong" or "missing", and I channeled that energy into Izumi's scenes here. Because Izumi is the most blank-slate character out of the Gaang kids, she's also the one who I think reflects me the most. I won't go so far as to say she's a self-insert, but I definitely realized I was putting little pieces of myself into her. I'm pretty happy with where her story arc went, and writing her relationship with Azula was one of my favorite parts of this whole thing. 
> 
> Lin and Tenzin are like that couple who get together freshman year of high school and then just don't break up until they're like, 25 and in far too deep. But I have a soft spot for those two, and hope I did them justice.
> 
> And don't worry, Azula won't really make Ty Lee see The Boy in the Iceberg. Probably. 
> 
> Thanks everyone for reading, and sorry for the longer wait this time! I hope you've enjoyed. :)


End file.
